Breaking the Silence
by Altering Kreation
Summary: Since the accident, Eir can talk to pokemon, which is cool, but it has destroyed her family. Now she works in the Heart Café in Lumiose dreaming of adventure so when two trainers with shady links to Unova, a region that's been isolated since King Ghetsis was crowned, offer it to her, she accepts. But it absolutely devastates her. (review my story and I'll review yours!)
1. Prologue: Aftermath

A/N: Hello universe! Just wanted to say thanks for tuning in to check out my story!

T&Cs of mutual reviews: I love reading other fanfics and learning from my fellow authors! So, if you leave a review on my story, I promise I'll review either the story you tell me to or the one most recently published. I'll read up to at least the 3rd chapter, and my review will be more than "cool story bruh". I give detailed reviews, because I'm a writer so I'm long winded. I would appreciate if your reviews were similar, but that's up to you =)

I want to promote a culture of positive encouragement, constructive criticism, learning from each other, but also just having fun with some great story telling with the fandom that brought us together! Thanks for tuning in!

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**WEE ****Relic Castle**** Base, Desert Resort**

**Present **

"You ok?"

"No, I'm not fucking _ok_."

He shrank away from my blazing eyes. His unease made the silence even more awkward. I pulled my knees close to my chest and readjusted the protective googles I wore over my eyes to prevent the relentless sand from the raging storm from blinding me.

"Can you leave me alone for a bit?" I asked trying to keep the worst of the edge out of my voice.

"Is that really what you want right now?" he asked, his voice disheartened yet strong.

"Of course it's not what I _want_!" I snarled whipping around to face him. His eyes widened, and he looked like a trainer realising the true nature of his beloved, tame gyrados was actually feral and murderous. "Does anyone ever actually _want_ that! That's why we have partners, friends, and family. But yeah, go fuck up yours, let your partner slip away, then tell me if you _want_ to be alone, or if you _need_ to be... if you _deserve_ to be."

Like an arbok recoiling after a pounce, I rested my head on my knees again. Subtly I lifted the bottoms of my goggles to let the tears spill out without him noticing.

"We'll find her. I know we will. We're contracting the Eterna Base and the League Base to see if anyone's heard anything. We won't abandon her. We won't abandon you," he assured me.

I rose to my feet. "I can't make you do that. This is my mistake. She's my partner. I need to fix this. Alone." I started to walk off into the dessert, vaguely aware of how stupid I was being but too callused with raw grief and rage to care.

He grabbed my wrist, and I stopped but didn't turn to face him. "That's suicide and you know it. I can't let you go like this. I'm not abandoning you. We can fix this."

"No," I whispered raising my head to feel the sharp sand whip across my face. "We really can't. She was right back then... I should've listened to her back then..."


	2. Chapter 1: Lone Green Push-Pin

A/N: Hello world! Thanks for checking out my story.

Cheers =D

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**Heart Café, Lumiose City**

**Back then**

My eyes widened in horrified anticipation as Gyrados's cracked open his wide jaws to release a ferocious roar. I could just barely hear a trainer's voice, full of authority and hungry ambition, calling, "_Hyper Beam!_" as the beast's roar took form as a full-bodied laser. He launched it at his opponent, but Gengar gracefully dodged like he was weightless.

"Incredible!" the commentator said. "Gengar was able to dodge, and now Gyrados will be immobile for at least ten seconds! Folks, this could be it!"

Chika, my torchic, fluttered her tiny wings and chirped in excitement. We were cheering for no one in particular, and yet we were both on our feet and leaning in close.

A black mass sparking with dark energy formed between Gengar's hands. I could see the grimace on Gyrados's face, and my heart sank for his trainer. I shuddered as I imagined how I would feel if I knew Chika was about to get blasted like that. _Arceus, that would suck._

Gengar pulled his arms back like he was loading a bow before launching an arrow. I edged closer, held my breath, and-

_Jiinggle-inggle_

My heart leapt as I spun around to see the door opening making the bell perched above it ring. A young man and woman walked in, two regular customers that I knew well. "Hey Eir," the man said with a tiny wave. I flashed a quick smile then snapped my eyes back to the TV mounted on the wall to catch the winner before serving them, but it was too late. Commercials advertising _Sinnoh's Poffin Making Classes _flashed across the screen leaving the epic battle behind.

"Did you catch the winner, Chika?" I asked, but she shook her head in dismay. I clicked 'mute' on the remote and shrugged. "Awh, well, we'll check on our break!"

I scooped her up from the table as I turned to face my customers with an authentic smile. I rushed behind the counter to greet them properly. "Hey Dan! I see you brought Alysia today!" I said with a smirk. She was stunning. A real Lumiose City dweller with a good sense of fashion and elegance. Dan was, well, a bit rough around the edges in terms of style, but his smile was one top class accessory. Not that he was wearing it today.

"I'm afraid it's her bringing me today," Dan replied with his eyes down.

"Oh?" I blinked.

Alysia put her hand on Dan's shoulder. "Dan just challenged the Lumiose City Gym again. And…" she trailed off not wanting to offend Dan, but I knew what she meant. Chika and I exchanged glances. We predicted he'd lose. His partner was a skrelp which was weak to all the gym leader's pokemon and useless against his magneton. I made a mental note to jot that down later.

"It's only noon, so coffee first, right?" Dan half-heartedly chuckled.

"It's always coffee-o'clock!" I assured him. "The usual?"

He nodded, and I started to get to work. While I was grinding the coffee beans, I looked over to Alysia. "What can I get you?"

"Just a tea, thanks," she answered.

"Coming right up!" As I frothed the moo-moo-milk for Dan's cappuccino, my mind wandered to what strategy he could bring next time. _Maybe he should catch a skiddo. They're resistant to electric type attacks at least. Damn, but I'm pretty sure Magneton can use ice beam. _"So, what's your battleplan for next time?"

He signed and shrugged. "I don't know, haven't really thought about it. Maybe Kelpie and I just aren't cut out for battling." I dusted cocoa powder on top of the coffee. "Maybe we'll chill out for a bit. Just, I don't know, find a peaceful life." I knew he liked his cappuccino extra hot, so I held it by the rim while Chika gently heated up the bottom. "You're happy, right?"

I placed the coffee on the decorative saucer and added a biscuit on the side. As I poured hot water into Alysia's mug, I took a moment to appreciate the colour of the tea bleeding through the bag into the clear water. I signed. I loved my job, but I couldn't help feeling that I gave up being the very best to learn to make the best coffee.

"Of course I'm happy!" I said. Dan was my friend, but also my customer. I was at work, not therapy. I placed the tea on another pretty saucer before handing Dan the tray. "That'll be ₽550, please."

Alysia stepped up while pulling a card out of her wallet. Dan looked like he was about to protest, but she cut him off. "I said I was treating you after you battle!"

I smiled at her as I punched the numbers into the card machine and held it out to her. "Thanks," Dan said with a resigned smile as the word 'Approved' flashed across the screen. He picked up the tray and carried it over to an empty table with soft couches brought up close for seating.

The whole café had a cosy vibe to it complete with fairy lights, couches, positivity magazines, and soft lo-fi music in the background. My favourite thing was the world map. It was the centrepiece of the establishment and hung on the wall across from the service counter. Its edges were yellow with age and the continents were fading, but that added to its mysterious appeal. The countries were dotted with coloured pushpins so that customers from foreign lands could leave a tiny legacy by telling the world they were here by marking where they were from. Even though we were in Lumiose City in Kalos, pins stuck out from across Kalos, Kanto, Johto, Hoenn, Sinnoh, and the Alolan islands**. **

The more barren region by far was Unova. It was rare to meet anyone from there. Ever since their government changed power ten years ago, the region had been incredibly difficult to get into. Visas were virtually impossible to get, and neither flights nor ferries weren't allowed in its runways or ports. They used different social media than the rest of the world, and apparently, PokeSpace was blocked in Unova. I didn't know much about the region, no one did really, and although I was curious, it didn't keep me up at night.

_Jiinggle-inggle_

The bell jingled again, but this time it was Joshua tying his purple apron on as he and his heliolisk rushed through the door. "Eir! Hi!" he said. "Sorry I'm late! I got caught up in a really intense battle!"

I laughed. Although Joshua was my boss, he never made me feel inferior. He was a man of about 45 with grayish hair, a slight beard, and square glasses who set up the Heart Café after he returned home to Lumiose after finishing his own pokemon journey 20 years ago. He wanted the Heart to be like a home away from home for all people of the world. An urban watering hole for trainers to relax and share their tales from their globetrotting adventures.

His partner was an absolute monster in battle. He was thoroughly chiseled from all the gyms and Elite Four opponents he'd faced over the years. Little Chika never stood a chance. Neither did the gym leader's famous heliolisk, or so he said.

"No worries," I replied. "We haven't been too busy this morning."

"Oh really?" he said with his eyebrows raised.

"Yeah, I was surprised too."

"Well enjoy it while you can, because we won't know ourselves in the rush later!" he said while plopping his backpack on the counter. Its true colour was almost invisible beneath a sea of pins and gym badges he collected from his adventures. Jealousy wrestled with admiration behind my eyes. I looked away.

He fished a printed booklet out from his bag and waved it at me. "We'll be holding back stampedes of customers soon because the Interregional Friendship Day Festival is in two days, and we've made it on the Hot List of places to visit during Lumiose City's celebrations! This edition is freshly printed, released this morning!"

"What! Seriously!" I took the booklet, and saw that Alexa, a famous journalist from the Lumiose Press, listed us among the PR Video Studio, the Battle Institute, and Café Pokemon-Amie as 'must see' destinations for tourists and natives celebrating Interregional Friendship Day in Lumiose. "Wow, that's a real honour. We should hang this up somewhere." I handed it back to him. "Congratulations!"

"Well, thanks, Eir," he said while taking it back. "I, um, I know things haven't been easy for you, with your parents away and minding your brother and all, but you work really hard to keep this place welcoming. So, this is your victory too. Thanks."

Tears instantly pricked the backs of my eyes. I felt Chika nuzzle my hand from the countertop for moral support. She knew. I could be iron hearted forever if no one would freaking mention it. I blinked away the mention, the memory, the everything, and just smiled. "Honestly, Joshua, you're always too humble."

He hesitated before stuffing away the brochure and the conversation in his bag. "Well, let's get to work!" He zipped it up.

* * *

I stood behind the sink washing dishes. Joshua was busy at the counter, beaming his charismatic smile, telling grandiose stories of clutch battles, and making the customers swoon over him and buy more things just to keep the conversation going. The laughter, chats, and lo-fi music sounded so distant on my lonely mental island. I stacked the clean cups, feeling as empty as them, trying to pin down what trigger marooned me in existentialism like this. _What the hell am I doing with my life?_

The bell above the door jingled again, and I glanced over to see Dan and Alysia leaving. I gave them a wave and a lukewarm smile that slid of my face the second I turned away. Chika hopped over from her little play session with Dan's newly recovered Kelpie the Skrelp and bounced up the shelves to stand beside me.

_You ok? _she whispered.

I gave her a warning look then quickly looked over my shoulder. Joshua was busy flirting with a glamorous woman ordering a skinny latte, and Heliolisk was dashing around collecting the empty mugs. "Yeah, I just… Yeah, I don't know." The tears resurfaced, this time spilling into the front of my eyes instead of being contained to the back. "Crap, Chika, I was perfectly put together and you had to go pierce it with a stupid 'you ok'!"

_Ahh! _She hopped closer and nuzzled my arm with her rounded beak. _It's ok! I know we wanted to adventure and battle and meet people and stuff, but…_

"But life happens, doesn't it?" I buried my face in my other arm. "Can we talk about this later? I still have three more hours left on my shift."

She nodded and gave me a little peep of encouragement. _Let's take the long way home and check out the festival preparations, ok?_

"Ok," I whispered.

* * *

The thought of seeing the festival preparations later cheered me up considerably. I was lucky to have Chika as a partner and my job at Heart. Honestly, when I wasn't feeling so damn sorry for myself, I was really lucky. Joshua was right though. The shop was kicking up considerably in the hours that passed by. Nothing record-breaking yet, but enough to keep my mind out of the storm clouds.

"What can I get you?" I asked the next customer, pen in hand, without looking up.

"Can I get a mocha and a pushpin, please?" a friendly male voice requested.

"A pushpin?" I looked up. He was a traveller alright. He had a massive backpack which was slung over his shoulders and strapped again around his waist. His top was sleeveless revealing shoulders that were capped and tanned from hard work in the sunlight. Its stereotypical manliness clashed with the cute ferris-wheel image printed across the front which made me like him instantly. His eyes met mine, and I couldn't help but notice how green they were.

He sheepishly looked behind him. "Ehh, pin for the map?"

_Crap, was I just staring?_ I felt my hand twitch as it was about to reach up to scratch my check, but I suppressed it in case it betrayed nerves. "R-right!" I opened a drawer behind the counter and pulled out agreen pushpin. "Wow, so what distant shore have you washed up from?" _Oh Arceus, why did that sound so sarcastic and corny!_

"You'll see!" He smiled in a way that reminded me of a cheeky growlithe. Especially with that strawberry blond hair. I handed him the pin and got to work on his mocha, watching him approach the board out of the corner of my eye.

He pushed it through an area virtually barren. Nimbasa City. I burned my hand as the moo-moo-milk spilled over the edge of the mug. Even a few of the customers that were curiously watching the traveller proclaim his homeland looked shocked and began to whisper among themselves. If he noticed, he didn't let it show. He confidently approached the register again without batting an eye.

I hurriedly lowered my eyes and started the coffee over avoiding conversation in case I messed up again. I finished and neatly arranged the beverage on its saucer before bringing it over to him. The bell above the door chimed again, and I looked up to see a girl with another bulky backpack walk in and confidently strut up to the mysterious Nimbasian.

She was dressed in mostly black with touches of white. Her hair was dyed platinum white and tied back in a black ribbon. Her eyeliner was charcoal and heavily applied which made her brown eyes look light auburn and beautiful. I silently cursed her in her gorgeous badassery.

She glanced over at the map and her eyes lingered on the lone fresh green pin. "You shouldn't have put that there," she muttered to him.

"I doubt people will take it seriously," he muttered back. I rushed forward with the mocha so they wouldn't think I was eavesdropping.

"That's ₽250 when you're ready!" I chirped. I looked at the girl. "And what can I get you?"

Her nose wrinkled at the sight of her companion's drink. "Ugh, nothing."

"Oh, Mara, don't be so rude," he playfully scolded while taking coins out of his wallet. He left them on the table and dropped an extra ₽50 into the jar with a wink.

Mara folded her arms and looked away. The two took the seat Dan and Alysia had left earlier. I sighed and checked the front door. It was getting quiet again as we were winding down for the day. I pulled my notebook from under the register and clicked my pen. I scribbled quick a quick note about Dan's loss in my "Battle Strategy" section, a description of the two Unovans in my "People Watching" section, and in a note about Heart's appearance in the Lumiose Press in my "Journal" section. I threw in a positivity reminder for good measure too.

* * *

The last hour of my shift passed as the sun set. Once closing passed, Joshua rushed off and told me to clean and lock up because he had an interview with the Lumiose Press after our big debut. I was sceptical which was aggravated by exhaustion but agreed anyway.

The Unovans were the only two left in the shop. They didn't leave even when I was literally mopping around them or noisily stacking cups or dramatically shooing away people attempting to duck in after closing. I was grateful for the ₽50, but this was ridiculous. I turned off the radio, and the café plunged into silence. Their conversation abruptly ended, and I almost felt their newfound wariness.

"Haha!" the Unovan boy said standing up. "I guess we really overstayed our welcome."

"Oh, no, not at all!" I smiled with gritted teeth. "Sure, I had to stay behind to clean up anyway." Chika rapped her foot on the counter impatiently behind me.

He hauled his mighty bag onto his back and readjusted it like he was about to go for a ten mile hike. Mara sighed and feebly dragged hers on her shoulders making a show of exhaustion.

_Don't say it. Don't ask. I don't want to know, _Chika whispered.

"So where are you staying for the night?" I felt Chika literally peck my back in anger. Honestly, I couldn't help it. My favourite thing about this job was getting to hear about the adventures of trainers from foreign lands and seeing the exotic pokemon they brought with them. It fueled a fire in me that I couldn't put out. It both filled a gap and made me want more. Trainers from Unova? I genuinely had to ask.

"Well, we actually don't have anywhere to stay, which is kinda why we hung around so long." The guy shrugged, and the soft fairy lights caught the angles of his face in the most kaleidoscope way. "We didn't realise there was a massive festival on! So, yeah, all the hotels are totally booked out."

"We'll be fine," Mara said quickly with a glare at her companion. "We're used to roughing it."

I wasn't sure if that was a sneaky insight into life in Unova, or a reference to the usual amount of camping and 'roughing it' trainers do while adventuring. But my piquing curiosity was unearthing compassion I didn't even know I had. "Well, you can stay with me for tonight, if you'd like?"

Chika chirped in either shock or protest, and I felt a little burst of flames against my hand. Curiosity was killing this normal type feline, but ironically, it looked like the tiny chick would get me first. I waved her off and smiled at my guests.

They exchanged glances, and I noticed Mara faintly smirk. _Wow, so she wanted to stay all along. _Her eyes met mine. "Well, if you insist."

"Yeah, I don't live too far away! But I'll have to warn you about my brother. He's a little, well," I struggled for words, "rough?" Actually, him and Mara would probably get on well. "He'll understand though, so don't worry."

"Wow, that's really generous of you! Thanks!" the dreamy Unova boy said.

"So what's your name?" I asked him half-batting my eyelashes in a way that was probably laughable.

"Nova," he said. "Oh, by the way, is that little torchic yours?"

I turned around and realised Chika had been peeking at our guest from behind my back. I scooped her up and embraced her fuzzy warmth. "Yeah, this is my partner, Chika."

"Wow!" he exclaimed and took a step closer. "She-" he looked up. "She right?" I nodded. "She's so cute!" He pulled an odd purple lens set in a tarnished gold rim out of his pocket and gazed at Chika through it with one eye.

"Holy smokes," he whistled. "She has perfect IVs! She's fast as hell, too, right? Oh my Arceus, she's a Speed Boost Torchic!"

I shifted my feet feeling violated on Chika's behalf but also flattered. "Yeah, she's incredible on the battlefield. She's really destined for greatness." She shyly nestled closer to me, and I felt a gush of affection. My heart twinged. _Will I ever be able to help her fulfil her potential? _

"Torchic are super rare in Kalos, right? Where did you get her?" He slipped the lens back in his pocket at stood up to face me.

"Ahh, well," I looked away. "Actually, someone gave her to me. A customer. A regular." My eyes flickered over to the board and landed on the only other pin in the entire Unova region. It was a deep emerald green and protruded from Pinwheel Forest. For some reason, I didn't mention it.

He seemed satisfied enough with the answer. "Well you're really lucky to have such an amazing partner!" He reached out to pat Chika's head, and she chirped in delight, clearly won over by the praise.

"What about you guys?" I asked looking at them both. "Do you guys have pokemon partners?"

"Of course!" Nova replied jumping in before Mara. He took a great ball from an accessible compartment on his backpack and threw it forward to reveal a scrafty that looked bewildered and tense when it came out. "Jeez, no worries mate," he chuckled to his pokemon who looked relieved at the sight of him but remained tense. "This is Scrafty. No fancy nickname, but still."

Scrafty walked over to his trainer and stood firmly at his side. I'd never seen a scrafty before, but I was impressed at how cool it could make oversized pants look. His eyes were narrow and wary which gave him a mean look. I was intimidated by its clear battling ability. I knew it was native to Unova, and any lingering doubts that my guests _actually _came from Unova evaporated.

"Wow, he looks incredible!" I gushed. "I would be wary battling a pokemon like that! I'm sure you guys battle well together." I looked expectantly at Mara who sassily looked away, but I saw her grin. She loved talking about pokemon, and she was clearly proud of hers.

"Well, try not to crap yourself when you see him," she said as she casually tossed a dusk ball. Out of the black light, a five-foot bipedal humanoid thing emerged. It was mostly red with literal blades jutting out of its torso and from its war-helmet like head. Its eyes were tiny, beady, and struck fear in my heart the moment our eyes met.

"What is that!" I stepped back and held Chika close.

Mara laughed for the first time. "It's a bisharp," she explained. "His name is Bizan."

"Biisshaarpp!" _Be afraid! _he growled with a threatening husky voice. I noticed Scrafty's wary eyes never left him.

"O-oh wow," I stuttered. That pokemon was definitely native to Unova. "Why Bizan?"

"'Bi' because it's part of his species name, and 'zan' means 'slay' in another language," she smiled, and I didn't know something as wholesome as a smile could look so vicious. _Arceus, protect me while she's staying at my house tonight_, I reflexively prayed. At least it looks like its maybe steel type, so Chika could do some serious damage if she needed to.

"A-are they both final stage evolutions?" I asked while eyeing Bizan. I couldn't image it getting any more fierce looking, but I was no stranger to surprise.

"Yeah," Mara answered while reaching out to stroke her pokemon on the back of the head which avoided the sword jutting out from the front. "Both Nova and I have been with our partners since we were kids, so we've been fighting together for a long time. Plenty of time to fully evolve."

"Well," I said feeling slightly disarmed by her unexpected gentleness, "thanks for showing me your pokemon. Let's get going! You two wait outside, and I'll just quickly shut down the lights and lock up."

"Cool," said Nova as he recalled Scrafty to his ball. Mara did the same to my relief.

As they stepped out, I went around the back and shut off the main lights but left a select couple on to deter burglars. I untied my signatory Heart purple apron as the tension of the work day began to leave me.

_I can't believe you did that! _Chika protested once we were out of hearing range and could have a conversation. _We were meant to see the festival preparations tonight!_

"Yeah, I know," I sighed as the last light flickered off. "But they're from Unova! This is a great opportunity to learn more about such a mysterious place!" I stole a look at the map feeling my imagination run away with the excitement of it all. I thought about the customer who gave me Chika.

_But did you see that crazy lady and her sadist pokemon! _Chika rapped her clawed feet on the ground for added effect. _You better lock our door._

"Well, Bizan looked like a steel type, so it's fine," I assured her. "You're a prodigy, remember? I'm sorry about tonight, but we'll go see the _real _festival and not just the preparations. I promise I'll buy you poffins, or maybe we could even learn to make them."

_Awh, alright. _Chika said. _I know they were stuck, and I'm curious about them too. _She looked over at the door. _We better hurry. _

"Yeah, don't want to make them suspicious." I grabbed my keys and notebook on the way out and stuffed them into my scruffy backpack along with my apron. I felt like I'd actually have something to write about tonight.


	3. Chapter 2: I promise I'll be braver

A/N: Hi World! Just wanted to say thanks for tuning in again! It means a lot. Cheers you guys!

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Chapter 2

The chaos of the city nightlife made our awkward silence less noticeable. I walked in front, leading them through the cobblestone alleys towards my apartment. As we marched onwards, I was bursting with things to say, yet I felt like I should be cautious with what I asked. "So, uh, I saw you pinned Nimbasa city. That's pretty cool! What's it like over there?" I asked trying to sound casual.

I was met with more awkward silence. For a moment I wasn't sure if they heard me, so I turned around and saw Mara glaring into the distance and Nova's hand resting on the back of his neck like the mention of it gave him a tension headache. "Oh, haha! That was just a joke. We're not really from there. We're actually from Twinleaf Town in Sinnoh."

"Oh, really?" I said. I almost reflexively took out my Holo Caster to look up if their pokemon could be found in the Sinnoh region but decided to do it later. "Then why did you pin Nimbasa City?"

"I told this attention seeking idiot it was stupid," Mara barked. "He shouldn't have done that. Sorry," she grunted while looking away.

"Haha! Well, Unova just looked so desolate, you know? And doesn't it feel cool to pose as an exotic traveller, even if it's just in front of strangers?" Nova laughed. "Yeah, sorry I messed up the map. I'll be sure to take it down tomorrow."

I blinked as uncertainty crept in. Even if their pokemon couldn't be caught in Sinnoh, they could've been a gift. Definitely not impossible. "Ah, that's alright. It would've been cool to learn a little about Unova since it's so closed off, but yeah, that's ok." _Honestly, it's probably for the best. Unova screams trouble. _"What's Twinleaf Town like?"

"Unremarkable," Nova shrugged.

"Fair enough," I replied feeling more at ease now that their origin story was shifting from the unknown to the safe and familiar. "You guys want to grab something to eat before we head back? There's a convenience store up the road where we can pick some stuff up. I'm just not sure what I have at the house."

"Sounds good!" Nova said.

* * *

Being familiar with the shop's layout and products, I finished first. I didn't buy much, just a few oran berries, magmar level spicy instant noodles, and fire-type pokeblocks for Chika. I sat on a damp wooden bench across the road, letting my eyes drift across the endless stream of faces that rushed past. A city overwhelmed me in the same way a rich library did. So many stories, so many lives, so many souls- and I'd never meet them all.

_There they are! _Chika peeped to get my attention.

As the automatic glass doors closed behind them, their eyes searched for me. They both looked so serious and stony when they thought they were alone. I stood up and called out with a wave. I was under a shiny black streetlamp, so they saw me right away. Nova's face broke into an already familiar grin, and Mara huffed as usual.

"So, what did you get?" I asked as they came closer.

Nova reached into his cotton shopping bag to pull out some magmortor instant noodles, a litre of moo-moo-milk, and pokeblocks. "I wasn't going to buy the milk, but the clerk insisted," he said. "Haha! Probably just trying to make an extra buck, but whatever."

"Magmortor level! You'll need that milk," I said as my eyes widened. "You're using my brother's bathroom if that's what you bought," I laughed. I looked over at Mara. "Did you get anything?"

"None of your business," she huffed while pulling her shopping bag closer to her chest. "Let's move."

"O-ok then," I said.

* * *

We ducked out of the stream of people on Hibernal Avenue and into the Rouge Plaza. As we entered the clearing, the noise of the bustle fell away. The Plaza housed a little reddish statute, a pillar with circular designs tracing upwards. It was surrounded by a small patch of grass that looked so foreign in the beige concrete. I never knew what the pillar symbolised, and I never cared for it. But the grass. The grass always made me feel at ease.

We were only passing through, so I walked around the monument and lead my guests into another narrow alley way. Two elderly people seemed to appear just a head of us, but they were just coming out of one of the high-end restaurants. As the restaurant door opened, its soft light and rich music flooded the bleak alley. The music was delicate, enchanting, and instantly made me think of a faraway mountaintop which filled me with longing.

The heavy door closed again, and we were plunged into a dim silence.

I wasn't sure if the couple had noticed us, but I didn't want to scare them, so I let them get ahead before proceeding. The elegant lady hailed a black cab from the main road at the end of the alley, and I watched them drive off.

"Oh, crap," I turned around to see Nova and Mara both stop suddenly. "Haha! I walked past it. Sorry, I was daydreaming!"

I squeezed past them and went a few yards backwards. I found the keypad that opened the door to my apartment block and punched in the code. The door buzzed, and I pushed it open. "Ok, this is it," I said.

"Hey, wait," Mara said, her gaze fixed on the door next to mine. "What's that?"

I leaned back to see what she was talking about. The building next to mine was jet black which stood out against the beige and, of course, stood out to Mara. There was a faded sign out front which I didn't need to look at to know what it said. I passed it every day.

"That's the 'Looker Bureau'," I said. "Yeah, badass design for the building, but the guy who runs the place hasn't been around in ages."

"Where is he?" she asked without taking her eyes off it.

"I don't know," I shrugged. "My parents were friends with him, but yeah, I never really knew him."

I didn't want to keep talking about it, so I didn't wait for a follow up question. I went inside and held the door open for them to follow. Nova trotted right in, and although Mara hesitated, she followed. We needed to climb a few sets of stairs since I was on the 4th Floor, and there was no lift. I scooped up Chika for this, as it was exhausting for her to scramble up them.

"It's not much," I warned them, "but it's cosy."

"I'm sure it's great!" Nova said with a smile. "Thanks in advance!"

We made it to my door. As I fumbled with my keys, I felt self-conscious and noticed the red paint was peeling. I swung it open and silently prayed that my brother didn't trash the place since I cleaned this morning. "Tom?" I called as I stepped inside.

"Yo, Eir! Got some cool news. I-" Tom said as he rushed into the hallway. He stopped abruptly as he saw our guests, and I saw his wide eyes resting on Mara. He was wearing a white T-shirt and black boxers and his eyeliner was thick, so his eyes looked icy blue. His hair was wrapped up in a white plastic bag that was drowning in an inky dye that I always thought was unnecessary since our hair was already black, but apparently it wasn't 'murkrow black'. In one hand, he held a black nail polish brush and only half his nails were painted. I cringed for him.

"Yeah, sorry I didn't tell you I was bringing people over, but I met them at work, and they had no where else to stay." I looked back at Mara and Nova. "So this is Mara, and this is Nova. They're from Sinnoh." I looked back at my brother. "And this is my little brother, Tom."

"So, uh," Tom took a step forward. "I'm a metapod right now, but I'm cooler than a butterfree when my look comes together," he assured them. "But, uhh," he looked Mara dead in the eye, "even though I'm painting my nails and dying my hair, I want you to know that I'm _very _much looking to score with the members of your team."

"Pfft," Mara looked away. "Stay in your lane, buddy."

_HAHAHA! _Chika squealed, and I covered my mouth to hide my grin. I heard Nova chuckle behind me, but he kept in most of it out of politeness.

I stole a look at my brother whose cheeks were red enough to melt his icy eyes. Arceus, I died for him. I didn't know awkwardness around crushes was genetic until that moment. He sheepishly stared at the ground, and I saw his shoulders fall in humiliation. He shifted his weight between his feet like he was lingering, like he was waiting. A fleeting thought passed through my brain as I lowered my hand. There was no more grin to hide. _Oh shit, is he waiting for me to stand up for him?_

Terrified of Mara myself, I hesitated. He must've sensed no help was coming, as his eyes shot up to meet mine. They narrowed, resembling frozen spears sharpened by years of anger. Fear of him flooded my body, and I stood paralysed between two ferocious dragon-types. I looked away as my non-existent courage faltered.

I didn't dare take my eyes off the wall as I heard his bedroom door open then slam. I could feel his angry angst through the wall, and I kicked myself for my cowardice. I felt the glassy ice propping up our relationship crack slightly beneath my feet.

"Well, I guess we'll catch him later," I said as I bit my lip. I turned around to our guests, and I took off my sneakers as I stepped inside. I arranged them on a dirty plastic mat beside the door, focusing on the colour of the tan dust against the black rubber. I breathed, letting an appreciation of tiny details silence the fearful rush.

"I'm kind of surprised your brother is into goth since you're pretty pastel," Nova said as he took off his own shoes.

"Yeah, it's a bit of a new thing with him," I replied. "He's been getting into rock music and clubs lately too. His partner is a pangoro, and they've been going to these punky battle clubs lately. I guess he picked it up from there."

Honestly, I was a little worried about my brother. Our parents have been gone for about two years now, and since then he'd been neglecting work and school. We were too close in age for me to be a real authority for him, so if I nagged him about it, nothing would change. Goro and him would come home looking rough or doped up sometimes, and I wondered about the underground battle clubs he'd been going too. I knew Lumiose had a gang, and although I didn't know much about it, I worried that Tom did.

"I'll give you guys a quick tour of the place!" I said with a smile as Mara closed the door behind her. I opened the closet to the right of the front door to reveal a rack of coats hanging above two rows of shoes neatly lined up. A few of the coats hadn't been touched in years, and they still wore the faint scent of my father's cologne or my mother's perfume. "You can stick your shoes and bags in here, if you want."

"I'll put my shoes in, but I'll keep my bag if that's ok," Nova said sheepishly. "I know its weird, but I just like having my bag nearby. I'll just leave it close to wherever I sleep."

"Same," Mara said.

"Ok," I answered. "Whatever works for you. It's your stuff." I briefly wondered if they didn't trust me but shrugged off the thought. Their pokeballs and treasures from their adventures were in their bags, so I could understand wanting to be close in unfamiliar territory.

I closed the closet after their shoes were away and turned ahead. The hallway was wide and bright with amber wood flooring and pastel minty walls. "This leads into the living room, kitchen, dining room. It's just one big room that pretty much does all three." I walked on, expecting them to follow, but they were distracted by a picture that hung on the wall.

Nova noticed I was waiting and turned away to catch up. Mara lingered for a moment, and I expected her to ask me about it, but she didn't.

"Over there's the kitchen. Just use whatever you want. But the toaster's broken. Every time we plug it in, it blows the fuse. I keep meaning to throw it out, but I need to take it to some special appliance recycle place, and I keep forgetting. The microwave is good though, and there's a kettle," I said while looking to the right.

The kitchen had white cabinets and black countertops that were cluttered with promotional flyers, random dishes that had been drying for days on tea towels, and a couple of dirty ones. The sink was stainless steel with a few plates inside. I wished I could blame my brother for all of it, but I wasn't perfect either.

"You can eat some food or do whatever there," I said while gesturing to a wooden table with legs full pen scribbles from years ago. Four chairs stood around it, two of which were made of maple coloured wood which matched the table and the other two were made of greyish plastic. A small green cactus plant sat on the middle. I tried think about the last time I watered it but couldn't.

"And there's the living room," I said while looking to my left. There were two couches made of faux black leather forming a box around a glass coffee table. The ghosts of old coffee and tea formed little rings on the glass that looked suspended in the air. A tall leafy plant that I definitely watered recently sat in the corner up against a large window that overlooked the tan concrete of the apartments across the alleyway.

"That TV doesn't really work. There's a DVD player, but I don't bother paying for cable since everyone just watches stuff on their Holo Casters anyway," I said while looking at a dusty TV that sat against the wall. "It's not as nice as the way Mom used to keep it, but make yourselves at home."

"Used to?" Nova echoed. "Man, I'm so sorry. You guys are so young."

"Oh!" I exclaimed. "It's not like that," I quickly explained. "They aren't dead or anything. They're just… away."

"Away?" Nova blinked.

"Yeah, they're Pokemon Professors. They used to for Professor Sycamore, but his area of research is mega evolution**. **That's cool and all, but it didn't really interest them, so they went abroad to Kanto to work with Professor Oak," I explained while watching Chika hop up onto one of the couches and stand on the tallest part of its back to better listen to our conversation.

"What does Professor Oak specialise in that interests them?" Nova asked.

"The relationships between people and pokemon. Like how battling and working together brings us closer," I replied without taking my eyes of Chika.

"Have they discovered anything interesting?" Nova said.

"I don't know. I don't exactly read scientific journals for fun," I replied fighting to keep a snarky edge out of my voice. I focused on Chika. Her clawed toes were digging into the faux leather.

"Haha," he forced a laugh. "Just seems kind of strange that they wouldn't talk about their work with you. Especially if they're famous enough to catch the attention of the renowned Professor Oak."

"I was always interested in the arts. Not science." I watched Chika's claws slowly pierce the couch as snow white stuffing sprouted through the black leather.

"Really? Not even science about… communication between people and pokemon?" Nova pressed.

My eyes quickly, too quickly, snapped onto his face before I could stop them. As I met his eyes, a chill slivered up my spine, not just from the intensity of his stare but because of how he stripped the secret I buried under many layers to near nakedness in seconds.

"Not that I would know," I steadily replied, but the intensity in my eyes wrote the truth. He smirked, and I knew he read it.

_We all live, in a Po-ke-mon world. I wanna be, the greatest masta of them a-aaall! (the greatest master!) _my Holo Caster sang, and I felt the intensity of our exchange shatter to pieces. I quickly reached into my back pocket and pulled out my Holo Caster and saw a familiar name flash across the front.

"Sorry, I'll just answer this really quickly!" I said as I scooped up a rigid Chika. "Just chill or eat some food, or whatever, and I'll be right back!"

I slipped past Nova and Mara to get to the hallway. I took shelter in my room, and as I closed the door behind me, I took a deep breath before answering the call. They wouldn't be able to find anything about my parents' work even if they turned the place upside down while I was away. Honestly, the thing most likely to betray them was me.

_Eir! I KNEW these guys were bad news! _Chika harshly whispered.

"I know, I know," I whispered back under the ridiculous ringtone of my Holo Caster. "But they clearly know something about Mom and Dad. Nova was trying to get information from us. Maybe we can try to get information from them about their intel source," I said. "Maybe Mom and Dad are in trouble."

_Then it's these guys who are the danger! If your parents are in trouble, then so are WE! _Chika could barely keep her voice down.

"Don't you go getting scared on me!" I whispered. "I need you to keep me brave!"

_I'm literally a CHICKEN! _Chika spat.

"You can breathe fire! You're practically a dragon-type," I reminded her. "Ok, crap, I really need to answer this or they'll get suspicious." Chika's eyes still blazed, but she nodded in understanding.

"Natalia! Hey!" I said with as much energy as I could muster after pressing 'Accept'. Her cheerful face boldly defined with artistic makeup appeared in 3D before me. It was so familiar, so warm. It reminded me of who I was without all this drama. "Where's Cotti?"

"Don't worry, she's here," Natalia laughed as Cotti, her whimsicott, butted into the frame. She was wearing her signature oversized white-rimmed sunglasses as usual.

"Whiiiimm si!" _Heeelo peasant! _Cotti waved dramatically. I saw Chika roll her eyes, and I chuckled like I thought her dramatic outbursts were adorable. I kind of loved it that pokemon almost never knew I could understand them.

"Awh! Hey Cotti!" I waved. "Good to see you gals! How are you? No, wait, how did it go on set?" I asked excitedly letting my worries get swept away by her glitzy life.

"It was FABULOUS!" Natalia swooned. "I can't even tell you how lucky I am to be working with the famous Frank Letterman! I've been dreaming my whole life of working on a film set, and to be working on HIS set, even if I mostly just grab coffee and shoo away the press, I'm so lucky!"

"It's not luck!" I laughed. "You worked so hard for that!" It was true, Natalia never gave up on her dream of being a famous film director. Back at school, she was always making short films and entering competitions. Even though I was camera shy, I always felt so noir when helping her behind the scenes. "Next time they're contemplating lighting or something, casually give your expertise and blow them away with your creative genius!"

"It doesn't work like that!" she protested even though she loved the praise.

"Well, make it work like that!" I giggled.

"Ugh, gal, I miss you!" she said. "But guess what? I'm not even going to wait for you answer because you suck at this game, but listen, we're taking a break from filming for the Interregional Friendship Day Festival! So I'll be back in Lumoise to see it!"

"What!" I gasped. "No way! I can't wait to see you! I don't have a ticket or anything, but definitely stay at my place that night, and we can catch up when you're back."

"You are SO lucky to have fabulous friends in show business," she flicked her hair back, "because I just so happen to have TWO tickets."

"Natalia, you're too good to me!" I gasped. "Wait, why aren't you going with Caleb?"

"Ah, well, he can't. But you're not just my backup bitch! I swear!" she said quickly.

"No worries gal, I totally get it," I smiled. "But why can't he be there?"

"He WILL be there, but you see, him and his marowak were actually understudies for the fire show, but one of the main dancers got hurt. So boo, but woo!" Natalia explained with a flirty wink.

"Wait, was he hurt throwing around those fireball things?" I asked.

"If he was, then it should be HIM that's the understudy and not Caleb. Caleb will dazzle them with his creative genius as you say and get promoted. I need to be there for him, and I'd love you to be there too!"

"I'll be there!" I assured her. "Come by mine at like 6pm tomorrow and we'll head out together?"

"Sounds good!" Natalia nodded. "So, how's things with you?"

"Ah, you know," I looked away, "the usual."

"Ugh, I felt so bad leaving you behind to take this job," I immediately opened my mouth to protest, but she put her hand up to stop me, "I know what you're going to say. 'Oh but you had to chase your dreams and be all razzle-dazzle show business.' But Eir, I need to say that to YOU_. _Stop living for others and start chasing your own dreams. Battling and journalism, remember? Tom's old enough now. He can take care of himself."

"No, he can't," I said. "He's been hanging around with dopeheads. I'm worried he's turning into one."

"So what?" Natalia scoffed. "Let him get smashed and wake up in a dumpster a few times. Maybe that's just what he needs to do. Just get it out of his system, I guess. He'll be fine. Some people just go through this kind of thing, and you just need to give him space to blow up until he gets tired of his own crap. Then you can be the comforting heroic big sis."

I sighed. "You make it sound so easy."

"You just over complicate things," Natalia winked. "Live your best life. You only have one."

"I can't wait to see you tomorrow!" I smiled. "We'll catch up properly and plot my big escape and your rise to stardom together."

"You forgot to mention the wine that'll go with that. Don't worry, I'll bring it. But honey, literally just buy a train ticket," Natalia said with a blasé flick of her hair. "Listen, I got to go, we're working late to make up for tomorrow's lost time. But love ya girlie and can't wait for tomorrow! Bisous!"

Her image faded, and even though my bedroom light was on, I felt like I was plunged into darkness. Talking to her filled me with highflying freedom, and reality clipped my wings. Maybe she was right. Maybe I was clipping my own wings. My throat got dry, but the moisture reappeared in my eyes. I slowly sank to my knees as the fat tears filled with fear and longing rolled down my cheeks. I tightly clenched my jaw in a struggle not to audibly sob.

Chika took a tiny step towards me, and I reflexively outstretched my arms. She hopped onto my lap, and as I held her close being comforted by her warmth, I promised myself that things would change. "I-I promise I'll be braver," I whispered to Chika. "Next chance we get, let's get out of here, ok? Let's meet people and tell stories and win battles, ok?"

Chika buried herself in my chest, and I felt her tears soak through my shirt. _Ok, _she whispered.


	4. Chapter 3: The Accident

A/N: Hi again! Thanks for your continued support! :)

* * *

I pulled my fluffy komala pattern PJs over my head before turning to face the mirror. As I leaned into the reflective glass, I searched my face for traces of my emotional outburst. I dapped the tiniest smudge of concealer under my eyes to obscure the redness feeling irritated that even though was 10pm I still had to fuss over my warpaint.

_What should we do about them? _Chika whispered feeling paranoid about the thinness of the walls. She sat on the edge of my bed which was dressed in lilac sheets letting her tiny feet dangle off the edge.

"Is there anything we need to do?" I asked while rubbing in the face paint.

_Eir! Nova was digging like crazy about your parents' research! _Chika harshly whispered. _He even KNEW their field of research! That's top-secret stuff. He's bad news._

"Ok," I breathed. "So let's say we did just accidently take some organised-crime-lunatic-spies into our house. What do you want to do about it?"

_Tell them we have work at 6am, go straight to bed, leave really early tomorrow morning, and hope they're gone by the time we get back, _she sharply replied.

I took a step back from the mirror, proud of the mask I constructed. As I put my tools away, I took a moment to appreciate the derpy feebas on the front. It made me laugh a little every time. "Staying in this hypothetical, what if Mom and Dad _are _in trouble? Shouldn't we try to, like, find out who their boss is or something if someone's onto them?"

_We should tell Mr. Looker instead. If we try to dig, wouldn't that make it obvious that there's something we're hiding? And what if they catch you out again? Then the ones revealing stuff would be us, _Chika said slowly.

"Ugh, Chika," I said as my hands reached up to rub my eyes. "This is insane. Just take a step back. We're being paranoid. They literally just came into the coffeeshop, had no where else to stay, Nova asked one little question about Mom and Dad's research, and we're here feeling like we've got spies in our living room and that we need to go to the International Police."

_You know why they went to Kanto. They knew trouble was coming and needed to stay ahead. What if it's catching up with them? _Chika insisted.

I fell silent. No retort or brave declaration or steel resolve came. Just sadness. A heavy sadness concealer could barely mask. My sanity was so fragile, so delicate. Like a taunt water balloon, the tiniest prick threatened to make me burst. "I wish they never started…" I whispered. We sat in heavy silence. "I wonder if they would've stopped if that stuff killed me back then. Would it have died with me?"

* * *

When it's late and I can't sleep, my mind drifts to that day. One evening, in our old house in Aquacorde Town, the door to the forbidden lab was left ajar. Being dumb and only eight, I tiptoed in, desperately curious about what was interesting enough to keep Mom and Dad occupied for such long hours. Stands of purple fur a couple shades darker than Mom's espeon dusted the floor like sprinkles, and I distinctly remember wondering if they were just trying to make Eon darker. Tall metallic tables that plateaued above my head taunted me with the mysteries they held at their summit. I had come this far already, so I clumsily scrambled up.

At the top there was no grand view. Just a rigid ratata with scarlet eyes left open, unblinking, and dull. Two thin glass vials stood propped in a clawed wooden holder just behind him. Mom wore a lab coat, like the doctors on TV and the nurses in the Pokemon Centre. When I got sick, the nurses would make me better with medicine to eat or put on my cuts. They always helped me, and Mom dressed like a doctor so maybe she was one. I wanted to be like that, a healer.

I looked at both the vials. I assumed they were the medicine. They looked the same, so I just picked the one on the left. I fumbled with the cork jammed into the neck, and once it popped off, I remember the surge of pride and excitement I felt. I was so excited to help the rattata. _Maybe he'll be my pokemon partner! And then we'll be best friends! Like Mom and Eon or Dad and Chatter!_

As I edged closer to the sick pokemon, I started to feel dizzy. The smell that came out of the vial was harshly potent, like that stingy stuff the school nurse sprayed on my hands when I fell off my scooter. But it didn't fade into the air like that spray did. It lingered, like it was trapped behind my eyes. I started coughing, trying to get it out, but it started to burn my nose, and each cough felt like it tore the skin off my throat, but I couldn't stop.

"M-" I gasped between hacks. "MOM!" I screamed before my chest heaved again. "D-DAD!" Tears streamed down my cheeks in rivets, and my sobs came out as violent coughs. I put my hands to my face to stop myself from breathing more medicine in, but I felt lightheaded when I saw the red splatters my coughs sprayed across my hands. Fear surged through my body as darkness tunnelled my vision.

"EIR!" The horror in Mom's shriek fuelled my terror, and although I tried to cry out, I couldn't. "Oh, _Acreus, _SHIT!"

As I hit the table, the last thing I saw was the rattata's patchy purple flank. It wasn't rising.

Days later, I opened my eyes again. The first thing I thought about was the rattata. Even though I didn't understand earlier, somehow now, I just knew. I wondered briefly if I was dead too, if I would even know.

_Thank ARCEUS! The child is alive! _a strange yet familiar voice said.

I turned my head slightly to see Eon bounding over to my bedside. The espeon's soft violet fur that was usually so lush looked matted. She was normally so stoic, but she was beaming. Her contradictions confused me. My eyes flickered around my bedroom for the source of the voice, but there was no one else.

"Hey, Eon," I said softly without really looking at her.

Eon rubbed her soft muzzle against my shoulder to comfort me. She pulled back and called out, "Eeesp, espeee!"_ Marie, come here!_

My eyes widened, and I turned my head slightly to look at her properly. "Oh, that voice. That was you from before. Wow, did Chatter teach you to talk?"

Eon pulled back immediately. Her face froze in shock. It was so unsettling. I wished it froze earlier when she was beaming instead of getting stuck like this. _Eir! Did you- Can you- Do you know what I'm saying?_

I weakly smiled and reached out to pat her on the head. "Yeah! You must be working hard at your lessons."

"Oh, Eir!" my mother sobbed as she came in the door. She rushed to my bedside pressing a sodden tissue to her face. She slowly sank to her knees and carefully took my hand in hers. "I-I'm so sorry."

I blinked, both confused by her apology and my grogginess. "For what?"

Before she could answer, my father appeared in the doorway with Chatter the chatot perched on his shoulder. He was tense and silent although I could see his eyes were red and raw. "Oh Eir… For the love of Arceus," he whispered.

Eon tore away from my bed and raced towards my father. _Chatter! Tell them she can understand me! _Eon said with breathless excitement looking up at the pokemon on Dad's shoulder.

"What!" Chatter squawked.

Dad's head turned sharply to face his pokemon, his eyes on high alert. "What is it, Chatter?"

I felt a flash of irritation that Eon thought I was too weak to speak for myself. I pulled my hand away from Mom's support as I squirmed upwards until I was sitting. "I can talk myself," I said stubbornly although I was fighting the urge to cough. "Eon's speech lessons are going really well, and I can understand her perfectly."

My parents' eyes widened, and fresh confusion brewed in my mind. I shouldn't have had to tell them Eon's lessons were going well.

"H-honey," my mother said, reaching for my hand again like I was going to float away. She gripped it even tighter as she spoke. She stared at me with such urgent intensity that I shrank away. "You're able to understand Eon?"

"Y-yeah," I stammered. Panic flared in me as the sense that I was dreaming or hallucinating suddenly came over me.

"Chatter," Mom snapped as she whipped her gaze at the bewildered chatot. "Come here," she could hardly keep the sharp excitement out of her voice.

Chatter leapt off Dad's shoulder and fluttered over to land gracefully beside me. Eon bounded to my side, and my father uncertainly staggered over.

"Now, Eon, I want you to say something to Eir. Eir, tell us what she said. Chatter, let us know if she's right." Mom's words fell out of her mouth in a reckless flood.

A deep thumping began pounding deep inside my head, and I pulled my knees close to my chest as I tried to tug my hand away. "M-Mom?"

"Shh," she reached out to swiftly pat my head, her grip on my tiny hand solidifying into steel. It hurt but I didn't resist, almost liking the manic attention. "It's ok, just do as I said."

I hesitated but nodded.

Eon's almond shaped violet eyes turned to me, willing me to understand. _Professor Sycamore studies mega evolution._

"Professor Sycamore studies mega evolution," I whispered feeling self-conscious.

"By ARCEUS!" Chatter screeched as he battered the air with his wings. "She's right!"

Mom stood up suddenly and let go of my hand in a flash. It sank down to my side as I watched her pace the room in an explosive frenzy of scientific gibberish and muttering. Dad took a step closer, trying to calm her, but he looked happier and more energetic than I'd ever seen him.

The commotion they whipped themselves into amplified my headache. I laid back down, sinking into the softness of the sheets, sinking back into sleep. "Eon, you aren't taking lessons, are you?"

_No, _she whispered softly to soothe my unease. My eyes flickered to the doorway to catch a small shadow that stood in its frame. Tom was staring at me with massive watery blue eyes clutching a ragged pancham plushie close to his chest. I offered him a tired smile, but his posture stiffened, and he walked away.

* * *

"Oh, good," I said as I walked into the kitchen. "Glad you found the bowls." Chika hopped nervously behind me, but my exhaustion had morphed into apathy making me brazen.

Nova sat at the table in front of a lone clutter free patch slurping magmortor pot noodles. I recoiled as the scent of the chili threatened to singe my nose hairs even from here. His cheeks were flushed, his eyes were watering, and a half empty glass bottle of milk stood close to him on standby. Scrafty sat on the floor beside him tearing through a bag of pokeblocks with an urgency so savage that I wondered if he was genuinely fearful of an impending famine.

Mara lounged on the couch, her feet shamelessly up on the coffee table. It was dirty anyway, but my eyebrow still twitched in irritation. Reflexively, I hoped she didn't notice that it bothered me, and for once I questioned why that was always my reflex, but I shoved it aside feeling sick of existentials. Bizan sat next to the half-wilted plant by the window overlooking the narrow alleyway. He looked pensive and harmless which was so distant from my first impression that it disturbed me.

"Did you get anything to eat?" I asked Mara.

"Why do you keep asking me stupid questions?" she sighed without even looking at me. She kept her eyes trained on her pokemon, but I could see her eyeliner was smudged like a toddler's clumsy watercolours.

"Whatever," I sighed feeling defeated and too exhausted to press. "You guys cool with sleeping on the couches?"

Nova gave me a thumbs up from behind his bottle of moo-moo-milk which his was finishing off.

"Cool," I replied. "I have work in the morning, so I'm heading to bed. I'll be gone early, but yeah, just let yourselves out whenever you head off tomorrow. I'll just go get the blankets from the closet for you, and let's call it a day."

* * *

I closed the chipped red door with surgical precision to avoid making noise. I exhaled with relief as Chika and I turned away. I made for the stairs as I scooped up Chika in my arms.

When I emerged into the alleyway which was bathing in the blue light of the rising sun, I felt unburdened and unwatched. With the city still sleepy and silent, there were no toes to step on, no one to piss off by existing, and no one to fake smile at. In solitude I took refuge from my facade.

But of course, I wasn't really alone. I knelt down to let Chika hop out of my arms and onto the uneven cobblestone. I never was. I never forgot the who I was either because I never lied to her. Even if I tried, she always called my bluff. A rush of affection for my partner warmed me to my toes. I was so lucky.

"Well, now what?" I asked.

_I'm hungry, _Chika said as she stretched her tiny yellow wings.

"Oh yeah," I said, "we skipped dinner last night, didn't we?" I checked my Holo Caster which read 5:40am. I had an alarm set for 6am, but I woke up long before it. "We closed up last night, so I've got a key for Heart if you want to go there?"

_Ok! _Chika flapped her wings in excitement.

We made our way through the city which was so familiar that I didn't even need to think about it. I let myself be guided by muscle memory so I could take in the unfamiliar face my city wore at dawn. The soft white light of the shiny black streetlamps which defied the nightly darkness looked so feeble against the light of the rising sun. I watched them flicker off, their services no longer needed, to recharge their batteries.

The roads were gradually filling up with people and pokemon alike that ducked out of their houses or their nests to take direction and seize the day. A stout gogoat with a burly trainer caught my eye because they looked so similar to each other. Their synergy as partners was undeniable. The broad and powerful man was strapping a harness onto his pokemon to get ready for another day in the Gogoat Ride City Tour company. The Tour company was so iconic to Lumiose, and I silently thanked the man and gogoat for working together to make our city better.

Eventually I found myself at the Heart Café. It was 6:20am, and while the café didn't open until 8:00, I knew someone would be here within an hour to prepare for the daily grind. I wasn't on this morning, but I had stuffed my apron into my backpack just in case.

As soon as I walked in, the weight of exhaustion crashed onto my shoulders. Coffee could fix it, or at least keep it at bay. I hoped. I went around the back to the fuse box and turned on all the lights and the stereo letting the fairy lights and quaint music soothe me.

I flicked on the coffee machine feeling more awake just watching it roar to life. My stomach roared too, and Chika gave a chirpy laugh.

"Haha! I guess it's time to eat," I smiled. We didn't really serve much food outside pastries and cakes for customers, but we kept cereal, berries, and pokemon food in the back for us workers. Honestly, Joshua was a really thoughtful boss.

I brewed myself a strong black coffee, fixed a bowl of weetbix with sliced oran berries, and poured cold soymilk into both. I wasn't a fan of moo-moo-milk. I set out Chika some pokeblocks with berries and added some cash to the register to pay for it. I brought my food over to one of the tables with couches and took a seat among the cushions.

I dug my notebook out of my bag and picked up my pen to write. My cereal grew soggy and my coffee cold as I stared at the page. Normally I danced along a beautiful white canvas leaving ideas, observations, or doodles in my wake, but this morning, my pen wouldn't move. I snapped the book closed and just ate in mental silence instead.

"You done?" I asked Chika.

_Yup! _she pushed her empty bowl away.

I took all our dishes to the sink in the back and washed them letting the hot water flow over my hands fighting to stay focused. I was disappointed that the coffee hadn't really woken me up. My alertness felt artificial and I lacked the clarity and intelligence that comes with sleep.

"I think I'll lie down for a sec," I said to Chika as I came out, but she was already curled up in the corner of the couch. I walked over to join her. The second I lay down and closed my eyes, my mind shut off, and I was asleep.

* * *

"Hey," a gentle yet gruff voice whispered. "Hey, Eir. Wake up."

Consciousness flooded back, and I sat up instantly feeling the heaviness of sleep slide right off my shoulders. "What time is it?" I said sharply.

"Arceus Eir, chill," the boy in front of me said sheepishly. "It's alright. It's just 8:00am now." He was tall with a strong build he developed from his bouldering adventures that he never shut up about. His unruly brown hair curled slightly at the ends making him look friendly and relaxed, and his face was kind with gentle green eyes. The bridge of his nose was peppered with freckles, and he was smiling.

"Oh, Oscar," I mumbled. "Sorry you, ah, found me like this. But thanks for letting me sleep."

"No worries!" he smiled. "I mean, I love the Heart, but to be sleeping here? You must've been exhausted. Did you spend the night?"

"No," I said quickly which sort of made it seem like I did. "I have people staying at my place," I looked away knowing I was about to lie, "and I had to give one of them my bed, so I slept on the couch at home. My couch isn't really comfortable, so I was up early and came here."

"Cool!" Oscar smiled. "Is that your parents back from Kanto?"

"Not them, but some friends from Sinnoh who came here to see the Friendship Festival tonight. All the hotels and stuff are full, so yeah they're with me." I looked back at him with a smile hoping he wouldn't prod.

"Well I'm glad you got some rest," Oscar said. "I need to unlock the door now and get to work, but you can stay here if you want."

"Thanks," I replied. "I think I will actually stay a while. I'm not on the roster today, but if things get chaotic, I'll help you out as thanks for letting me sleep. But I'll head off by 11, if that's ok?"

Oscar flipped the sign on the door so the side that said 'Closed' faced us leaving 'Open' proudly pressed against the window. "Sounds good. Cheers, Eir!"

* * *

11am came and went. I was pulled into the trenches at Heart from about 9:30am to 11am since we were busier than usual after making the legendary Hot List. I was able to duck out on time though since Joshua came in at that point and could take over.

I wandered onward with Chika close to my side. I felt the pressure of my Holo Caster against my leg from inside my pocket. I had been contemplating calling my parents all day, and finally decided to bite the bullet.

I found a wooden bench on the side of the Hibernal Avenue across from one of the Pokemon Centres. Sliding my backpack off my shoulders, I took a seat. Hibernal Avenue was one of the busiest streets in all of Lumiose, and today was no exception. The chaos and bustle that murmured and roared before me passed too quickly to truly take anything in. I knew I'd still be able to hear my parents on the phone if I focused but nestled in the chaos with so much else to distract me, I felt safe enough to call them.

Shakily, I dialled the number, pulling Chika close. My heart was hammering as I thought of when I last physically saw them. I had blatantly refused to follow them to Kanto in a freakishly out of character end-of-my-rope act of selfishness. My loathing for a lifetime of lab tests, EKGs, and needles combined with the tantalising hope of a normal life my acceptance to Lumiose University promised fuelled that fierce defiance. It shattered our relationship, and in the months that followed, it shattered me before I had the courage to pick myself up and try to live the life I want. I was still trying.

We almost never talked anymore. I was terrified.

When the phone rang out, I was almost sick with relief. But I still needed answers. Gathering my wits, I dared myself to try again.

It rang out.

A third call.

It rang out again.

"Shit, Chika," I groaned. I felt achingly relieved but also fraught with fear. Although we almost never spoke, when I called, they would answer. Our conversations were short, tense, and full of unspeakable rage, but at least they picked up the phone. Whether it was out of some semblance of parental care or concern for their only successful experiment, I never knew. "Either they're screwed or they managed to mutate someone else and replace me."

_Maybe they're just busy? _Chika nestled in close trying to make up for an obvious lie with a hug.

I patted her fuzzy orange head in gratitude. "I'll ask Tom."

Calling Tom was nerve-wracking as hell too, especially after last night, but it was nothing compared to the anxiety calling our patents gave me. I dialled with relative ease, but when he picked up, my heart skipped a beat in angst.

"What?" Tom said sounding groggy and mildly pissed off. He had turned off the video chat feature, so it was just a voice call.

"Hey, Tom, have you heard from Mom or Dad lately?" I asked while running my fingers through Chika's fuzzy feathers.

"If they haven't contacted their little miracle prodigy, why would they contact me?" Tom's reply was instant, more defeated than snarky, but still definitely snarky.

I stayed silent for a few seconds feeling the tip of his verbal spear slowly sink into my flesh. "Seriously, Tom? Are you still pissed about yesterday?"

"Whatever, Eir. We know it's true," he replied. I could practically hear him roll his eyes.

"Their work was their favourite. Neither of us," I shot back defensively. "I just… ended up being their work." I was met with a long silence, and I glanced at the phone to make sure he hadn't hung up. "I'm sorry about yesterday," I said, but Arceus, I was sorry for so much more.

"Like I care," he said. "Why are you worrying about _them_?"

I hesitated because, honestly, I didn't really know. Selfishly, part of me thought if they were in trouble, it would be because of their research which also meant I was in danger. But that wasn't just it. There was something else too.

"I don't know," I said. "Just haven't heard from them in ages. And family is family, you know?"

"Seems more like Frankenmon pining after its creator to me," Tom's voice was sharp and cut deep. Deep as hell.

"Can we drop this?" I asked, but even if we did, it would never go away. "So, what were you going to tell me about yesterday?"

"Goro and I will be battling the Festival's Tournament later today," he sneered a little knowing it would make me jealous.

"Wow," I said, refusing to take the bait. "That's great!" I said but it sounded hollower than the alertness my coffee tried to replace sleep with. "I'll be there tonight with Natalia. I'll come watch."

"Whatever, mutant," he said coolly. "Well I'm going to go train. Later."

He hung up.


	5. Chapter 4: Why the hell not

A/N: Hi world! Thanks for reading =)

* * *

"I swear to Acreus, if they aren't gone, I'll…" I trailed off because even if they were still here, I knew I'd probably just fake smile like a pushover.

As I opened the chipped red door, I was greeted by the sound of upbeat music and the buttery smell of pancakes which floored me with surprise. It was so cosy, so homey. It didn't belong here. I looked at Chika who shared my bewilderment. I stepped back and double checked the number beside the door. It was my unit alright.

I kicked off my shoes and lined them beside the door before walking down the hallway. I stole a quick glance at the picture Mara was fascinated with earlier that hung on the wall. It was a family portrait from years ago before my accident. Mom, Dad, Eon, Chatter, Tom, and I. We looked so normal and happy, which was jarring and almost funny in its falsity like an out of context quote. Maybe we were back then. Maybe I ruined it.

I tore myself away and went towards the kitchen. The scene I walked into made me wonder if I was fatigue was making me trip. The dishes were put away, the plants were watered, and last night's blankets were folded neatly on one of the couches. Even my floating coffee ring halo had been scrubbed off the glass table. A strange device, like a high-tech watch with a touch screen face, sat on the counter with fast music bursting with techno beats blaring through its speakers. I'd never heard the song or seen a watch like that before, but the face of the device read 'Pokemon Musical, Stardom OST.'

Nova stood at the stove clearly jamming out to the music with a plate of cooked pancakes and a bowl of batter beside him. He was wedging his spatula under a fluffy pancake sizzling on the pan so he could add it to the tall stack he was building.

Mara sat at the table with her make-up spread out in front of her. She already looked perfect though. It was _Tom _she was teaching new techniques to. A pile of facewipes smudged with charcoal lay scattered in front of him, and his eyes and cheeks looked red from all the fussing. He was leaning close to a mirror Bizan held up and shakily applying goth eyeliner to match his finished hair and nails. Goro the enormous Pangoro leaned over Tom's shoulder, keeping his eyes fixed on Tom's shaky hand as it stumbled along.

"Why is it so hard for you to be _symmetrical_?" Mara growled.

Tom sheepishly looked up, and I could see what she meant. Each eye looked good in isolation, but even I could see they didn't match.

"Do it again," Mara snapped while pulling another face wipe out of a quickly depleting pack. "You're representing all goths tonight, and we aren't quitting until you represent RIGHT!"

"Yes Ma'am!" Tom affirmed as he vigorously rubbed off this latest attempt.

"Alright!" Nova said while flicking off the stove. "I think that should be enough for everyone!" He picked up his pancake tower and turned around to face the table. "Hey, Eir! Don't worry, I made enough for you and Chika too."

I didn't even try to hide my shock as I stood in the doorway with my mouth open. I expected to open my eyes any second and wake up on the couch in Heart or on the side of the road or on a lab table or _something._

"You want to sit down?" Nova grinned while putting empty plates on the table. "Do you mind if we move some of this stuff for a bit?" Nova asked as he looked at Mara's artistic spread.

"Fine," she grunted as she began to pack it away. While Tom didn't look particularly relieved, I'm sure his raw eyes were.

I took a cautious step forward glancing at Chika for reassurance but found none in her baffled expression. I walked over to the table and pulled out one of the plastic chairs, suddenly aware that maybe I should've asked Nova if he wanted help with cutlery. But like the stage frightened child that knows what their next line should be, I couldn't break through my shock to perform.

I sat down slowly, flinching as I connected with the chair because I half expected it to be a landmine that would obliterate me. But it wasn't. It was normal. Everything was so normal.

With the makeup away and Nova serving pancakes, I watched like a ghost as everyone added some pancakes onto their plates. I just sat there with my shoulders frozen near my ears in rigid fear not taking a pancake, not daring to move. These people were made of cardboard. They were about to topple over any moment. There was no way this was real.

"Eir," Tom said. My eyes snapped onto his which looked like Goro's after all the treatment. "What the hell is wrong with you? You look crazed."

_Is he gaslighting me? _was my first thought. But this wasn't unusual. Tom's attitude towards me was as volatile as stock prices. It seemed wildly unpredictable to an outsider, but I could see the patterns. His fury towards me was explosive and his blows were lethal, but they would relieve his underlying anger for days or even weeks at a time. During these cool offs, we could be civil. Until I pissed him off again.

"I'm fine," I said shortly. My plate was still empty. Nova looked at me expectedly. My eyes flickered over to the pancakes. _Maybe they're laced with truth serum. Or arsenic. No wait, he's eating them too. Maybe he put it in just mine. But he'd never know which one I'd take._

I shot up to my feet, and my chair crashed onto the floor behind me. Everyone stopped talking, eating, laughing. They looked at me like I was a feral pokemon. The upbeat music continued in the background clashing violently with my thoughts.

"E-excuse me for a sec," I said as I turned around and headed towards my bedroom. Chika scurried behind me as I raced out.

After she followed me to my room, I tightly closed the door, flinching at the unintended slam it made. I locked it then stumbled over to my lilac bed and fall forwards into its softness. Chika came over beside me, and we sat in silence for a long time.

"We're being paranoid," I said flatly.

_I-I'm not sure anymore, _Chika answered.

"I am," I replied while propping my head up with my hands. My eyes fell the parchment world map I had hanging on my lilac wall. The words '_Build a bridge, little explorer' _were scrawled in the lower left margin. I'll never forget the one who said that to me. The one who introduced me to Chika.

I pushed myself up, so I sat properly on my bed with my knees close to my chest. "We need to chill. Honestly, this is nuts. They were just two travellers from Sinnoh who stayed with us. They're really nice people. Even Mara has a soft spot for her pokemon, and she's helping Tom. Mom and Dad…" I said looking away as I trailed off. "They must've mutated someone else and replaced me. We should be happy! This is a chance to live a different life! A clean break! I'm sick of worrying about them."

_B-but… _Chika hesitated.

"Stop!" I glared at her with unexpected sharpness. "We wouldn't be freaking out like this over these guys if it wasn't for them! They're the whole reason we're suspecting that they're freaking spies. Them and their stupid research. And you know what, Tom wouldn't hate me if it wasn't for them! Tom wouldn't hate _himself _if it wasn't for them!" I bit my lip feeling bitterness and anger surge through me. "Screw them. Seriously, Chika. We need to chill and let it go."

Chika's eyes were trained on her tiny feet. She didn't answer to challenge or assure or me or comfort me.

Her loss for words was unusual, and I used the opportunity to keep pushing. "I'm letting it go. I literally don't care anymore," I said as I stood up. "I'm getting a damn pancake, and I'm being freaking normal." As I headed towards the door, Chika didn't follow but stayed on the bed torn between her fear and my obvious logic.

I headed out without her but left the door ajar so she could follow if she wanted.

* * *

"Sorry," I laughed as I returned to the kitchen. "I'm feeling jittery from too much caffeine."

"No worries," Nova smiled, "As long as you're ok. We saved you some pancakes," he said as I took my seat.

In truth, I was starving, so I didn't hesitate this time.

After our meal, Mara and Tom went straight back to the makeup tutorial with renewed vigour. As I gathered the dirty dishes, I stole a glance at the hallway, and my heart sank a little that Chika hadn't reappeared.

"Chika ok?" Nova asked.

I turned to face him as I put the dishes in the sink. "Yeah," I said. "She'll be alright. Sleepy, I guess. She worked hard at Heart today," I said which was true. "She's always a great help and a real charmer. Customers love her."

"Yeah," Nova agreed. "She's really cute. She suits you as a partner."

"Thanks for making pancakes today," I said feeling suddenly shy. "Let me do the washing up as thanks."

"I'll help!" he assured me. "I made them as thanks for letting us crash here in the first place."

"If you insist," I said as I was a little sick of dishes after my shift this morning. Also now that I was getting over the Interregional Spy paranoia, my initial crush was reblooming. As the hot water filled the sink, I let it flow over my hands enjoying the warmth. I started scrubbing the plates, rinsing them, and passing them to Nova who dried them off.

We worked without speaking, and I felt unsure of what to say. The music cushioned the awkwardness of the silence, but it still choked me.

"Eir," Nova said shakily, like he was daring himself to speak his mind. "About your parents…"

My blood ran cold, and I struggled not to noticeably freeze from the sudden mention. I could've sworn the chill in my hands made the water instantly drop ten degrees. I didn't dare look at him.

"Look, I'm sorry for prying before," he said. "It wasn't really my place, and I didn't realise it was sensitive for you and Tom. You see, I'm kind of interested in being a Pokemon Professor myself one day, and I read in a journal that Oak was branching out in his research. I was just curious, that's all. But still, I'm sorry."

I felt a tiny smile pulling at my lips and the warm glow of relief melted the fear. "That's ok," I said softly as I turned to face him. He was looking away, and his hand was resting on the nape of his neck again. "I'm sorry for getting all tense about it. Thanks for clearing the air."

His face broke into a relieved quirky grin. "Thank Arceus," he said. "I just didn't feel right letting it go. Haha! What a relief!"

"So, what are your plans for today?" I asked with a coy eyelash flutter that came out more like odd eyelash flap.

"Mara and I are actually heading back to Sinnoh tonight," Nova explained with a helpless shrug. "Kind of sucks, I know, but we're flying out from Lumiose Airport. Our cousin is getting married tomorrow, and our dad insists we be there. I mean, I want to be there for Kathrine, don't get me wrong, but it would've been nice to explore Kalos more," he said. He looked away. "And to get to know you."

My mind exploded into a clamorous frenzy. _Mara's his SISTER? He wants to get to know ME?_ "I-I, um, wow, yeah, that does suck. Especially with the Friendship Festival tonight! But, umm, I had no idea you guys were siblings."

"We don't look alike, do we?" he smiled. "Well we're actually half siblings. Same father. My mother died when I was young, and when he remarried, he had Mara."

"Oh," I said taken aback. "Crap, man, I'm sorry."

"Ah, yeah. I know how it feels to have someone pry about parent stuff, so that's why I felt so bad about before," he said with downcast eyes. "But, um," his hand found its way to the back of his neck again. "I won't be able to explore Kalos this time, but would you…" he trailed off, I could see him mentally psyching himself up to continue. With all the power of the universe I willed him to have the courage to say whatever it was. He straightened up to look me properly in the eye. "Do you want to be my date?"

"Your date?" I nearly choked. Impossible. _This is a set up._ _Where's the camera man to tell me I'm being pranked by a reality TV show? _"Is this a social experiment?"

"A what?" he blinked, confused.

"Like one of those, 'Let's wear fake cameras, pretend we're in trouble, and see if people are dicks to us' type things," I explained still fighting the shock.

"No!" he laughed. "You're so funny. This is exactly why I'm asking you. I'd really love to get to know you better."

"When would we leave? How long would I be gone for? How much is a plane ticket?" I asked my mind racing with the logistics of it all.

"Ok so we'd leave this afternoon. Get to the airport around 5:00pm-ish and take off at 7:00pm. The wedding is literally tomorrow, so you could come straight back," he offered me a cheeky grin before continuing, "or maybe travel a bit? I could show you around Hearthome City? We could train our pokemon and even challenge the gym! Flights are regular, so it's up to you really."

My heart soared outrunning my racing mind. "And flight cost?"

"Well," he looked away with a smirk. "Katherine's father, my uncle, is a prominent partner in the Sinnoh Underground Company. "Katherine's fiancé is from Kalos, and the two been spending time in Lumiose with his family. Our uncle sent a private plane over to take them both to Sinnoh. Mara and I are hitching a lift, and you could too."

"W-wow," I stammered. "I don't know what to say."

"How about 'yes'?" he offered.

Excuses to say 'no' stormed through my mind. _Work?_ But I wasn't working the rest of this week, and Joshua owed me for helping Oscar this morning so I could swing an extra day off. _Tom? _He'd be fine for a few days. I was still a little pissed about this morning, and Natalia was right. _Oh, crap, Natalia. _But she was always trying to set me up on dates and nudging me to live my life. I knew missing the festival would disappoint her, but like the true friend she was, she'd understand. _My parents? _I told myself to forget them like they forgot me_. _The biggest obstacle was… _Chika. _But we promised each other we'd be braver. We promised we'd live our lives.

"Why the hell not?" I said. "Yes!"


	6. Chapter 5: Something terrible

A/N: Hello world! As always, thanks for reading =)

* * *

In the safety of my room, I fumbled with my Holo Caster. I scrolled through my contacts searching for Natalia's name. The Caster began to ring. Once, twice, three times- and my mind flashed to being unable to reach my parents earlier. _Crap, maybe my Caster's broken?_

But Natalia's face, washed out with electric blue light appeared before me. Her hair was tied back, and she was sitting in front of a spread of makeup pallets. She was crafting an elaborate appearance for tonight's festival. I felt a twinge of guilt at what I was about to tell her.

"Eir, if you're calling me to bail about tonight so you can babysit your brother or work or whatever, I swear I'll-"

"It's not that!" I cut her off before she could finish her threat. "I've been invited to go to Sinnoh on a date! It's with this trainer I recently met to be his plus one at his cousin's wedding."

Natalia turned to the camera and scrutinized my face for any trace of a lie. "You what?"

"I-I've had these trainers staying with me. I met them in Heart. They had no where else to stay because of the Festival, but they're going back to Sinnoh tonight for their cousin's wedding, and the boy asked if I wanted to go with him and be his date," I said which made me aware of how insane it sounded.

"What!" she gasped. "Oh my Arceus! Is he hot?"

I blushed and looked away but gave a small nod. "Haha… yeah."

"OMA, you HAVE to go!" she clapped her hands together in excitement. "Wait when would you be leaving?"

"This afternoon," I said sheepishly as I turned to face her, "at like 4:00."

"BUT EIR!" Natalia dramatically leaned back and gave a theatrical sigh.

"I know! I'm sorry, but yeah, this is my chance!" I said. "Honestly, it's crazy. What do you think? Is it too insane?"

"Girl, it's out-of-this-world, blow-your-mind, I'm-your-father-plot-twist insane, but why not? If it's terrible, then you can just leave."

"Yeah," I sighed feeling the doubts creep in. I'd already told Nova yes, but my feet were getting cold. "That's true."

"Don't even THINK about backing out!" Natalia said as she saw my hesitation effectively chasing it away. Her raised voice was muffled by static as it came through the beaten Holo Caster speakers, but the effect wasn't. "Honey, you're doing this. Arah, I want to be angry with you for ditching me so badly, but you're getting swept off your feet by an exotic hottie so I literally CAN'T be angry."

"You're a true friend," I said with playful solemnness. "I owe you one."

She reached underneath her desk and pulled out a bottle of red wine. "You'll owe me for the hangover I'll have after this! Now I have to drink it all by myself!" she said while brandishing it at me.

"You could share with your boy after he finished his performance?" I suggested with a laugh.

"Oh please, he'll get encore after encore. I know it. I simply can't wait that long," she said with a dramatic flick of her hair. "Don't you need to get packing?"

"Yeah! I'll do that now, but I'll leave the key under the doormat. Stay here tonight! All the hotels will be booked!" I said. "Oh, but, ahhh… Yeah if Caleb will be here, just, um-"

"Oh Eir, get you mind out of the gutter. We don't do anything crazy!" she winked.

"T-thanks," I stammered.

"Now go pack and ride into the sunset towards your new adventure! Look at you, finally doing something crazy of your own for once! I'm so proud of you! Now, go," Natalia shooed me off as she set the bottle beside her.

"Ok! I'll keep in touch!" I assured her.

"Don't worry about that! Tell me about it when you get back," Natalia smiled. "Bisous!"

She hung up, and although she was gone, my heart wasn't sinking with heaviness. The freedom and potential in my new adventure filled me with hope I'd never known. I was euphoric with it, but Chika wasn't.

Chika sat on my lilac bed staring down her little clawed feet with a scowl fixed on her face. If she had arms, I'm certain they would've been crossed. I edged closer, feeling unsure of what to say. The stifled air between us was so foreign to me. It was like being isolated from myself. I sat on the edge of the bed beside my partner with a gentle smile on my face.

"We promised we'd be braver, little buddy," I gently reminded her. "Next change we got, we promised we'd take. This is it! This is our chance!"

_I know, but you promised we'd go see the Festival! she protested without looking at me. I really want to see it…_ her voice got quiet._ Besides, I don't trust them._

"Nova apologised for prying about my parents. He wants to be a Professor himself and read that Oak was branching his research out into studying human-pokemon relationships. He wasn't being shady."

_Yeah, well, did that journal say anything about branching out into communication between humans and pokemon? _Chika huffed sceptically without looking back at me.

"I didn't exactly ask to ready the article myself!" I said feeling frustration creeping in. "Communication is an important part of relationships, so it makes enough sense for me."

_I don't care how much sense it makes!_ Chika shot back. _It doesn't feel right. I can't forget the look he gave you._

"Without my parents and their fear mongering, we wouldn't be suspicious of them at all. I think they're good people," I said. Chika opened her beak to protest, but I continued. "But you're right about the Festival. I made that promise, and I'm breaking it. I'm sorry, but Chika the festival will come around next year, and they'll probably be celebrating it in Sinnoh too. But this… We'll never get a chance like this again."

She scowled and glared at her feet without answering.

I sighed, racking my brain for a compromise. "You don't have to come. I can leave you with Natalia," I said even though I felt my heart instinctively rebel against the thought of separation. "I'll only stay a few days, and I'll come right back."

She still wouldn't turn away from her feet to face me. Chika's anger at me was suffocating, and I took a deep breath to steady myself against the wall she built between us.

"I'm so sorry, little buddy," I said as my fist clenched in anguish. "I don't want to let you down, but I really want to do this. I'm sorry for being selfish, but I need to go. I know this regret would haunt me. I'll make it up to you by taking you to every festival you want for the next five years. I promise. For real this time."

Still no answer. The silence was roughly grating against my resolve. Had it really come to this? Chika or leaving?

I sighed and gazed at the world map hanging in my room. Arceus did I want to get the hell out and forget about my parents, but if it would shatter my friendship with Chika... I inhaled slowly, breathing in conflicted indecision, letting it fill my lungs, float up to my brain, and rattle around in search of an answer.

No clean answer came. Compromising my position with Chika was messy, but I needed to go. Even if it was without her, I needed to go. The only reason she was refusing was because she didn't trust them. Once she realised that they were harmless and that she was being paranoid, then she would understand. Then it would be _her _that was sorry for almost letting fear thwart our dreams.

"Chika," I said firmly, "this is our chance. We have to take it, or at least I have to. It'll be fine. I trust them. I've been so afraid my whole life, and I'm sick of it. I want to live. I don't want to let my parent's work, their fears, and their paranoia drag me down anymore. This is our change to shake it all off! Little buddy, I'd love nothing more than for you to come. You're my partner." I took a deep breath. "But if you won't come, I'll leave you with Natalia. She'll take you to the festival. I'll come back in a few days.

_Then who's going to protect you if they turn out to be dangerous criminals! _Chika tried to huff, but it came out more like a sob.

My heart broke, and my resolve to leave wavered for just a moment when I saw how much this was hurting her. Chika finally looked up at me, her tough scowl dissolved by the tears swimming in her purplish black eyes.

"Awh!" I exclaimed as I scooped her up to hold her close. "Little buddy, I'm so sorry that it's come to this. I'll be fine, I promise! Don't worry about me!"

_N-no…_ she said. _We're partners. I'll go with you and protect you even when I think it's stupid. But Eir! I'm so afraid of them… They really give me the creeps._

"Chika," I whispered as I held her close. Rage at my parents for the fear they've instilled in us surged in my chest. It was because of them that Chika was so afraid. There was nothing wrong with Nova and Mara. "It'll be alright. It's safe. Even if we meet trouble, we can protect ourselves. It's ok."

_You really think so?_ Chika said with her face buried in my chest.

"I know so!" I assured her. "Hey, maybe after this little warm-up adventure, we'll go on a big one! Take on the gyms and everything! We've saved up quite a lot of money from working so hard these last two years. I reckon it's time to do it!"

_Can we get poffins in Sinnoh? Not the crappy ones you get from the supermarket, but like proper bakery ones? _Chika asked as she pulled away to look up at me.

I burst out laughing and held her tighter. "We'll get ten. And you can say when we leave the wedding party. We'll leave when you want. And we'll see if there's any Interregional Friendship Day Festivals over there too, ok?"

_Ok, _Chika said.

* * *

Packing was a whirlwind. I hastily stuffed Chika's pokeball, my passport, my notebook, a few pens, a nice-ish dress, a change of clothes, and a toothbrush into my sturdy backpack. The adventures I'd taken that backpack to were mostly confined to high school and uni, but now our tickets were booked, the world was waiting, and we were ready.

The airport was only an hour from the city, so we took the bus that ran from the city centre to the airport. Even though the Festival was today, the bus to flee the city was still crammed with people, pokemon, and overpacked bags all making a beedrill line for the beyond. Even over the chattering commotion, I could still hear the radio blaring in the background, although I wished I couldn't. I was beyond sick of the song 'Counting Starmie' as it'd been number one for two weeks, and it felt like every other song played was this one.

We stood shoulder to shoulder in the cramped aisle, and I struggled to hold onto the questionable sticky yellow railing and Chika at the same time. We turned a sharp corner, and the weight of my bag unbalanced me making me stumble sideways and crash into Nova's chest.

"Awh! I'm so sorry!" I said, blushing furiously as I pulled back. I looked away and readjusted my backpack without looking at him.

"Don't worry," he said with a cheeky smile. "I won't let you fall."

My cheeks grew hotter, and I didn't turn to face him so he wouldn't see. "T-thanks," I said.

The bus came to a grinding halt. The doors opened, and even though the air that hit me was warm with the bus's exhaust fumes, it was still refreshing. Passengers poured out, jostling each other with bulky bags and stiff shoulders. It was clear a group of five young travellers were late for their flight, as they unapologetically pushed and shoved to clear an escape route for themselves. Once they tore free, they pelted off at full speed. Two pokemon, an alolan vulpix and a trumbeak followed closely behind. I smiled as I watched them run lopsidedly with bulging backpacks and silently prayed to Arceus that they would make their flight.

After the worst of the stampede cleared, I made my way for the door, but Nova gently put a hand on my shoulder. "Hang on, we're not getting off here."

"This is the airport!" I said watching carefully as the last of the passengers stepped out. The bus would be pulling off soon.

"We're on a private flight, so we're leaving from the smaller airport outside the city," Nova explained. Mara stood behind him with crossed arms, smudged eyeliner, and staticky hair after the suffocating bus ride, but she nodded in agreement.

I'd never heard of another airport in Lumiose, but then again, I'd never flown private before, so I stepped away from the door.

The last passenger cleared out, and then it was just us three and Chika. "You making for the airport outside the city?" a gruff, elderly voice called out. I looked forward to see a pair of dark blue eyes staring at us from the driver's mirror. They were nearly fully obscured by two bushy grey eyebrows, and I wondered if it was safe for him to drive like that.

"Yup!" Nova said confidently. "How much longer will it be?"

"Another twenty minutes or so, depending on traffic," the driver replied as his eyes left us to face the road.

"Thanks!" Nova said.

The bus lurched forward again, although it was a lot less violent now that its load was significantly lightened. We took a seat this time. I plopped my bag on the floor and hugged Chika in my lap watching the world drift by through the smudged, foggy window. As we left the Lumiose city, there scenery changed from low rise beige concrete buildings and cobblestone to four lane motorways that were framed with powerlines and grassy green fields filled with mareep and flaaffy.

As the scenery became monotonous, my mind wandered to hopes for our upcoming adventure. I'd never been to a wedding before. Or to Sinnoh. I wondered if there were any potential culture clashes or faux pas I should know about. Nova's family was clearly rich and bourgeois. I didn't want to embarrass him by portraying myself as awkward and uncouth.

Just as I was about to ask him, the bus slowed to a stop, and I realised we had pulled into a massive yet mostly empty parking lot. I scrambled to my feet, and my heart fluttered in anticipation. I placed Chika on the floor to hop beside me, and I thanked the driver as we filed out of the bus.

Our transport wasted no time turning on its wheels and making way to the big city again for another round. I watched the only possible way of turning back drive away. I can't believe I'm really doing this.

The airport was small yet functional. Two massive automatic glass doors opened when we approached, welcoming us to the small hub. There was a coffee shop with a logo of a cute smiling fennikin on a mug, a car rental, a magazine shack spotting headlines about the Friendship Festival from eight different publishers, and the queue to pass through security. The line was short and moving quickly. I had no doubt we'd get through quickly which was a relief.

After the usual stress of getting through security, choking on clouds of fancy perfume in duty free, and begrudgingly paying for overpriced coffee we sat in the lounge waiting to depart.

The lounge was vast and spacious with walls made almost entirely of windows that revealed miles of tarmac and the metal birds that raced along it. I could see planes belonging to Jet Indigo, Seek Sinnoh, and Articuno Airways as each were recognizable by their trademark colours and logos. They were all small discount airlines. I didn't see any planes from Alolan Airlines which was the biggest and most recognisable airbus company. I was sure all their flights left from the mainstream airport.

I wasn't sure which of these planes would take us to adventure. I just knew it wasn't any of these commercial ones.

Our empty lounge reflected that. We sat alone in the massive room without other passengers to wait with us. After we passed through security, we were told our gate was through a separate hallway leading us away from the crowd to a smaller lounge reserved for private airline passengers. Sitting in a nearly deserted airport lounge unnerved me, but I was excited all the same.

The setting sun put me at ease. I sat on the floor, gazing out the enormous window taking in the melting fiery sky. I felt so tiny against its vastness. It sparked my creative inspiration, and I dug through my backpack and took out my notebook. Resting it on my lap, I jotted down a little record of our journey so far and my promises of poffins and festivals to Chika so I wouldn't forget to fulfil them.

Chika sat by my side watching the colours fade from the sky while Nova was off getting water. Mara sat behind us on one of the metallic chairs nestled in the rows looking even more irritable than usual. Bizan was stationed at her feet with an unusual expression on his face. I wasn't used to bisharp body language, so I couldn't be sure how he felt, but he looked fearful.

Chika hopped off from my side towards him. I wanted to reach out and pull her back but after making such a big deal about how safe they were, I stopped myself. But I couldn't stop biting my lip.

_You ok?_ she asked him.

He glared at her for a second like he was contemplating if she was worth his time. I know I told Chika to trust them, but I was starting to draw blood from my chewed lip. I turned away slightly, watching them from the corner of my eye, trying to look like I wasn't eavesdropping. _Yeah,_ he said with a grunt. _It's just… Mara._

_She sure does seem grumpier than usual today. Is she afraid of flying?_ Chika asked.

_No, I don't think so... It's- Damn it, it's none of your business so piss off,_ he snapped with a frustrated growl.

_It's sucks to be worried, but it's nice that you look out for her. You guys seem to have a really solid bond. Mara's usually so scary, but she's got a real soft spot for you, _Chika said with a little hop.

Bizan looked taken aback. _You really think it's like that?_

_Well, yeah, _Chika blinked.

_But humans- they just see pokemon as tools. They abuse us, separate families in the wild, turn us into slaves, and sell us! We're just the sidekicks, the throwaways. Don't you see that?_ Bizan said incredulously like Chika just revealed she thought the Earth was flat.

She hesitated and shifted uncomfortably at the thought. _Some people treat their pokemon poorly, that's true. But you and Mara seem like real friends! _Chika insisted. _Does Mara treat you like that? Like a friend, I mean?_

Bizan sat back and didn't answer for a long time. He turned to look at Mara, who was angrily staring off into space with her headphones clamped over her ears. _Friends?_ he said aloud to himself. _I mean, kinda… I guess she does a little._ Mara looked over and caught Bizan looking at her. Her scowl was bitter, but she softened when she saw him and reached out to place a hand on his head.

Chika looked back at me with an unreadable expression. I caught her eye, and I'm sure I looked the same.

"I'm back!" Nova said cheerfully as he approached us in the lounge. He was carrying three water bottles and a goofy grin. "Gotta stay hydrated for the flight! That dry air can be such a killer."

He handed one to me before turning to Mara. I caught him curiously eyeing the scribbles in my notebook, and I reflexively covered them in self-consciousness. "Ah! Sorry, didn't mean to spy," he said. "Why are you on the floor anyway?"

"I just like it sometimes," I said feeling stupid. "It's easier to write on my knees like this."

"I see," he said. "Well our cousin and her fiancé will be here soon, so let's get ready to move out!"

He gave another bottle to Mara who accepted it without a word. I went to open mine, but I noticed the plastic ring that's usually connected to the cap was already severed. It hung limply around the bottle's neck, and I ran my finger along the length of it to be sure it was fully detached. "The seal's already broken," I said looking up at Nova.

"Oh, yeah," he looked back at me. "I went to refill old bottles. Don't worry, I washed it first. Just saving the environment, you know?" He cracked open his own and took a long swig.

I did the same. I was feeling dehydrated from all the caffeine, and I was grateful for it. Chika came over to my side, and I filled the cap with water for her which she greedily drank.

Nova's fancy touch screen watch buzzed. He checked it, and I assumed it showed him text messages or something, because when he looked up, he announced, "The plane's ready! The crew said we should just board and wait for Katherine inside."

"Sounds good!" I said, stretching as I rose to my feet. My legs were tingling from sitting on them, and I felt weighted with sudden tiredness. Chika yawned and stumbled as she struggled to her feet.

Mara watched us intensely as she rose to her feet before hoisting her bag onto her back. She turned towards Nova who was leading us to the gate and followed with Bizan closely at her heels. The sunset's volcanic colours had cooled to ashy grey. As we walked towards the gate, the blueish twilight seemed to be slipping away uncannily quickly, and I rubbed my eyes in bleary confusion.

I realised Chika wasn't at my feet, and I turned around, nearly losing my balance as I did so. I saw her a few feet behind struggling to keep up. "Aawwh!" I exclaimed, "Chiikka, it's ok. I'll carry ya." I approached her like a newborn deerling, feeling uncoordinated and clumsy. I scooped her up, but nearly dropped her, and laughed in embarrassment and at how funny it would've been if I actually dropped her.

She nestled into my chest, and I held her tight. "Shh, it's ok, little buddy. We'll take a nappy-nap on the plane," I whispered.

I looked around and realised I was somehow already on the plane but struggled to recall walking through the gates. I fought to keep my eyes focused, and they homed in on a strange crest that adorned the walls of the plane. It was a shield that was half white, half black, with a backwards 'z' and a large blue 'P' down the middle. The interior was entirely black and white, and for a second, I thought I was colour-blind until I saw Chika's bright orange feathers pressed against my chest.

"Chika, whooaaI Look, we're on a plaane!" I said, but she didn't answer. I shook her in my arms, but she wasn't waking up. "Dammit Chika, why are you sleepy? We're on an adventure!" I said with a giggle.

"You can sit here," Nova said with a sly smile as he gestured to one of the seats in front of us.

"You sssly houndoom," I giggled. "Why do you look sssoooo serious all of a sudden!" I collapsed into the seat he pointed to, letting relief course through my body. A heaviness set in, and I looked up at the black ceiling getting lost in its abyss. "Am I drunk?" I wondered aloud.

No one answered, and I decided I didn't actually say that out loud. I heard people enter the plane, and I looked up to see two men in strange uniforms that seemed like a modern take on the medieval nights. They had the same crest as the plane one their chests. "Awh nooo!" I said. "Are we going to a convention? Who are they cosplaying as?"

They didn't answer me but rather looked at Mara and Nova. "You managed to find the girl after all," the one on the left said.

"I'm shocked she's kept that torchic this whole time," the one on the right said turning to face me.

I blinked in confusion but couldn't form a thought let alone a sentence.

"Speaking of pokemon," Nova said disgustedly, all traces of his goofy persona gone making my heart falter in fear. "Take this freaking _thing _away," he said as he tossed Scrafty's pokeball. The pokemon emerged looked bewildered, his eyes scanning his surroundings with the adrenaline of hunted prey flashing through his eyes. His eyes widened, terrified. When they saw the strange men, he took a step back. I noticed his paws crackle with black energy like he was going to fight back.

But one of the grunts stepped forward, and threw a half black, half white pokeball at Scrafty before he could pounce. It locked instantly. The same bold blue 'P' was painted on the top, facing towards me. Diluted fear began slipping through my watery confusion.

"Miss," the other strange knight said while glaring at Mara.

She stood beside Nova, just in front of me, clutching Bizan's paw with her eyes trained on the floor. I could see the little pitter-patter of tears sliding from her cheeks, crashing to the floor, breaking like glass when they hit.

"I knew you were getting attached to that monster," Nova said disgustedly making my blood curdle at the sinister edge to his tone. "I can't believe you even named the damn thing. Even when you said you were just trying to fit in, I knew the truth. You were being sentimental. You were being _weak_."

I expected her to get fired up, to turn on him, to scream, to do something. But she didn't. She just let go of Bizan's hand which fell limply to his side in defeat. The knight threw another strange pokeball at Bizan, and just before it hit, I heard him say, _Throwaways_. It was meant for Chika, but it speared right through me instead.

I told my legs to stand, my mouth to open, my lungs to scream, but a leaden heaviness had settled in my body and muddled my mind. I couldn't move. It all felt so distant, like watching a movie at 4am when you're half-asleep.

"The water…" I whispered dimly recalling the broken seal. Realisation turned to panic, but it was severely blunted by the drug. "Mara…" I asked with my remaining strength. "What the hell is going on?"

She didn't look up from the floor, but I heard her loud and clear. "Eir, w-we… I… I did something. Something _terrible_."


	7. Chapter 6: Not in Kalos Anymore

A/N: Hello world! Thanks, as always, for reading. This update is looooong overdue for a few reasons... Firstly, the uni chaos x_x. Secondly, some serious executive decisions about the story's direction needed to be taken after the last chapter. I didn't want to rush this so I could focus on authentic world building in a dystopian setting. Usually I just write as I go, but this time, I actually needed to write a few chapters in advance to make sure the world panned out alright.

Thank you for all the reviews and PMs offering suggestions and encouragement. It means a lot =)

* * *

"_**CHIKA**_!"

I shot upright, unnerved by the sound of my own voice, desperate and pathetic, ringing in my ears. Dazed, I stared at the wall for a moment. It was made of reddish stone that was damp and uneven. It sucked all the warmth out of the air, and the chill of the draft hit me.

"Chika.." I whispered reaching forward to hold her. But my outstretched arms passed through nothing but air. "Chika!" I called, frantically looking at my sides. More stone. More walls. No Chika. "C-Chika!"

I scrambled to my feet, my eyes darting frantically trying to take it all in. Trying to find her. I whipped around, feral with fear, to see one of the walls was made of tall, vertical bars instead of stone. I leapt to them, wrapping my hands around, trying to rip them apart. They were cold to the touch and rough with rust, but I barely noticed. The steel didn't budge, but I steeled my resolve, and I tried to force myself through.

All I could fit was an arm and half a shoulder, but I couldn't force my head through the narrow gaps. "Chika!" I called as I tried in vain to escape. The rust flaked, threatening to pierce my clothes and my skin. Feeling defeat overwhelm my desperation, I shrank back, knowing if I died of tetanus, I'd never save her.

I sank to the ground, feeling warm tears of shock silently roll down my cheeks as the cold stone sapped away my warmth. Through the bars, I could see a small hallway that was only a few feet wide, made of the same stone and dimly lit by what looked like firelight. There was another cell across from mine, but its interior was hidden from me with darkness. The hairs on the back of my neck prickled at the thought of being watched.

I brought my knees to my chest and looked around my little cell. The floor, ceiling, and three of the walls were all made of the same damp red stone. I had no window leaving me isolated from the world and confused about the time. What I had was a metallic table with a sheet of cardboard on top of it to prevent the metal from sapping all my heat. A scratchy black blanket that smelled surprisingly clean lay across it. Under the table, there was a silver metal bucket. Gross, but better than nothing.

Shakily, I rose to my feet and stumbled over to my 'bed'. I wrapped myself in my blanket to fight the chill my cold sweat invited into my bones. I sat on the table once I was wrapped up and leaned against the wall. I tried to calm myself down to scour my memory to piece together what happened and how I ended up here.

"Ok. Chika is gone," I said softly aloud feeling my heart break as I said it. "Oh _Arceus_… Chika's actually gone," I struggled to keep myself together as that reality sank in. The frantic desperation set in again, and I wanted to hurl myself at the bars until one of us broke. But I refrained, buried my head in my knees, and tried to focus on my breathing so I could calm down enough to think of a way to _actually _help her.

"Shit, this is all _my fault_," I choked out as the memories came crashing back. The airport, the seal limply hanging around the bottle's neck, those insane uniforms, Nova's twisted smile, Mara's tears… Chika didn't trust them. But I insisted.

"Holy _shit_!" I breathed as my lungs began to hyperventilate with realisation of that I'd done. "How could I let myself be so STUPID!" I threw the blanket off, unable to control my panic, my rage. "How could I let myself be charmed by that- that DEMON!" I shrieked as I lunged at the wall with a full force punch. The second my fist collided with the stone, it felt like it crumpled on impact. I felt my skin burst as the jagged stone tore into it and numbly watched the warm blood spill through my fingers.

"Fucking hell," I whispered. "Chika was right. She was right. And I… I was too STUPID, to SELFISH… so desperate to get out of that life… Holy shit, I can't believe I did this to us." I threw another punch the wall again, not wincing from the searing pain my wounds colliding with the rough stone inflicted. I deserved it. I deserved that and so much more. "Oh Arceus… I fucked up. I fucked up real bad."

I shrank to my knees again, letting the stone carry away the heat my blazing rage fuelled me with. I silently begged for it to take my heart shattering guilt, but I was trapped in this cage with it. It thrashed like a wild bufflant in my chest, bucking my lungs every so often leaving me breathless and dizzy. I pulled the bucket close as my stomach heaved forcing any remaining strength I had out. Pushing it away, I forced myself to stand, but I collapsed on the cardboard mattress.

"Chika," I said, feeling unworthy to even say her name. "I'll make it up to you. I'll find you somehow. I promise."

It was just my imagination made real with exhaustion and false hope, but I could almost hear her signature chirp… _Ok._

* * *

Nothing changed when I opened my eyes again. I wasn't sure if I slept or passed out or if I just closed my eyes for a minute. The only thing I knew was that I was still in the cell and that Chika wasn't. The thought made my stomach spasm, but I supressed the urge to vomit again.

"Ok," I said aloud with a shaky voice. "I can't wallow. I need to figure this out." I was so used to brainstorming courses of action out loud with Chika that although talking to myself probably made me look insane, it felt more natural. A wave of loneliness hit me, and I struggled to redirect the pain of the wave from frantic panic to a supercharged reason to fight like hell.

I wiped my eyes with the back of my sleeve and gritted my teeth. "Shit, Eir, keep it together dammit."

I trawled through my mind, surfed through my memories, searching for some sort of mental box I could shove all this pain and guilt into or psychic thread I could use to stich myself together. It didn't have to be perfect, just enough to function, just enough to be able to save Chika.

I landed on a memory from one normal misty Monday morning in the Heart Café…

_"What can I get you?" I routinely asked a customer that was approaching the counter without really looking. Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed his fresh buzz cut. I respected that as I had thought about shaving my head before but never had the guts. _

_ "Eir!" the customer said with a laugh. "It's me! I know, I had great hair before, but surely it wasn't my only defining feature?"_

_ "Joshua!" I gasped as my eyes widened at my almost unrecognizable boss. "Sorry! My mind was on other things, so I wasn't really looking! Looks great, but what's with the new look?"_

_ "THAT'S what's with the new look," he said with a smile._

_ "Wait, what?" I asked. I glanced around. The shop was quiet, so I gave him my full attention feeling drawn to what he had to say._

_ "We're always thinking about something else, but never in the moment. Today is a gift! That's why it's called the present! But we're always off in the clouds, thinking about the past or the future," he said which threw me off more than the buzz cut._

_ "I-I mean," I stuttered unsure of what to say. "I guess?"_

_ "I've been missing out on the moment, so I've been missing out on my life. I'm done with all that. I'm done chasing happiness. I realise now that I don't have to," he said with a dreamy sigh. _

_ "What the hell?" I laughed. "Are you going to run away with the monks?"_

_ "Not yet," he said, "but a close friend of mine did! Kevin and I travelled around Johto together many years ago. I got a call from him this weekend. He quit the grind, shaved his hair, and became a monk in Ecruteak City!" Joshua took a nostalgic sigh letting himself flow out of the so-called sacred present into the past. "Even then, he was so mystified by the temple we visited. I'm happy for him for going back. Had some crazy encounter with Ho-Oh or something too." _

_ "Whoa!" I exclaimed. "That's so cool! But wait, why did __you_ _shave your head?"_

_ His hand reflexively reached for his head. He ran his hand around the fuzzy stubble left behind as he smiled contently. "Ah, Eir. It's a new era for me. Part of me always held on to the good old days, back when I was travelling with my buddies going on adventures, you know? It's good to remember and learn from the past, but I was living in it too much. The time of my life is over. I'm happily married with two great kids now, and I'm the proud owner of the Heart Café. I love these things, so I'm devoting myself to this time now. I'm letting go to live in the present. That's what this represents. It was the same for Kev."_

_ "Wow," I said, shocked yet heart warmed by the personal nature of his confinement. "I have a lot of respect for that Joshua. One hell of a lot."_

_ "Thanks," Joshua said with a thumbs up. "And if I feel myself wandering from the present into the past or future, you know what Kevin told me to do?"_

_ "What?" I asked, genuinely curious._

I closed my eyes, took a long deep breath, and focused on the feeling of the cold air on my skin. The fine hairs of my arms stretched upwards to embrace to the chill. The way the cardboard I was sitting on slightly gave way under my weight became apparent. In my second breath, I noticed the metallic tang in the air. In the stillness with no distractions, the pain in my ragged hand began to screech at me. I didn't react, I just sat there, feeling it. I let my chest rise and fall. I felt my heart beat, and beat, and beat, and swore I'd never let it stop until I beat _them_. The ones who took Chika.

When I opened my eyes, I felt a little better. My wounds were raw, but they were stitched up. Not perfect. But enough.

"Ok," I said, still needing to say it out loud. "I _can _figure this out."

Sliding off the table, but keeping the blanket around my shoulders, I approached the bars. I peered out into the hallway, and I noticed the firelight was coming from torches that hung from the walls in between the cells. The hallway was small with only five cells on either side making a total of ten. To my right, I could see a staircase leading up into more darkness that I prayed would eventually turn into light if I managed to follow it. It was infuriating to be in the line of sight of the exit.

"So that's my target…" I whispered. I scanned the walls searching for a metal hook or something for a keyring to dangle from. I was disappointed but not shocked that there wasn't one. Then I became aware of the uncanny isolation. "Shouldn't there be guards or something..."

My stomach growled a little at the mere thought that they would just never come downstairs and let me starve to death. The regret I felt from throwing up earlier intensified.

A flash of yellow dashing across the hall caught my eye, and my gaze snapped on the creature. I squinted as I tried to make out what it was, but it was only a few centimetres big. Only for its vibrant colour, I wouldn't have noticed.

"Hello?" I called out trying to sound friendly and not like the locked up serial killer crouching in the darkness I probably looked like. Although it looked unfamiliar, I hoped it was a pokemon.

"J-Jolt!" _H-Human! _its little voice shrieked. It was high-pitched and squeaky but still male. It scurried into the darkness of one of the empty cells out of view.

"No, it's ok!" I tried to assure it. "I won't hurt you, honest! I couldn't anyway. I'm stuck in this stupid cage." I sat down in front of the bars hoping it would make me less intimidating.

The tiny speck of yellow peeked out from the shadows to steal a glance at me. Now that he was in the torchlight, I could see his eyes were massive compared to his face and blue. It looked like he had four eyes, but two were smaller and looked like eyebrows.

"Hi, little guy!" I said with a cheerful wave. Usually I _never _betrayed my ability to understand pokemon to _anyone. _Not with all the threats my parents received for their work. If I was made known, I would be made a target. But being locked up, I was already screwed. If I befriended a pokemon who could get through the bars, maybe he could help me get the key. Maybe I could get out. "My name's Eir. Nice to meet you."

He didn't move but just stared at me with his wide blue eyes.

"What's your name?" I asked. "You can tell me. I'll understand you. I can understand pokemon."

_LIKE HIM! _the pokemon said with a shrill screech that burst through his initially timid demeanour. He reared up on his stubby hindlegs and fired a bright lightning bolt at me. I learned back in shock and threw my hands in front of my face, but the bolt was stopped by the bars. At least they were good for something.

"Like who?" I asked in disbelief. _There's another one? Are my parents here? _

_What do you mean 'WHO'? _he spat. _Everyone in Unova knows HIM._

"U-Unova?" I choked. "Are we in Unova?"

_Of COURSE! _the tiny pokemon said.

My mind was spinning. "Oh my Arceus. They were from Unova all along," I said numbly. "Oh wow. I'm not in Kalos anymore… I'm really screwed." Unova was a blackout zone since the rise of their new king ten years ago. No Unovan products were exported. No one's seen a casteliacone in years. No news reports that looked even remotely of credible made it to the news. No Unovan participants were sent to the PokeThon. No Unovan teams battled in the Pokemon Battle World Championships. No connecting to anyone from Unova over the Internet. No one could travel in. More importantly, no one could travel _out_.

Unless you were on an interregional kidnapping mission. Apparently.

I took a deep breath. My emotional stitches were becoming undone. I focused intensely on a flake of rust hanging onto one of my bars by a thread. I poured my gaze into it like I was willing it to fall, but really, I was willing it to stay up. I was willing myself to stay up.

Once the worst of my panic flare subsided and I wasn't in danger of bursting my emotional stitches, I looked back at the yellow pokemon. It was still there, still staring at me. _He's afraid of me, furious at the mention of "him", but also curious about me since he's not moving… Or cautious._

"Sorry," I said sheepishly, rubbing the back of my neck. "I don't know who you're talking about. I'm not from here. I'm from the Kalos region actually."

_Kalos? _he echoed and narrowed his eyes.

"It's another region! It's far away from this one. You need a plane to get there," I explained.

_There are… other regions? _he asked suspiciously. He thought I was lying, and I wished to Arceus I had a map or ten to prove it. He was my lifeline. I _needed _his trust. "There's lots of other regions!" I racked my brain for a way I could prove this to him but found none. His blue bug eyes never left me, waiting for proof. "I have nothing but my word to prove that to you… But I'm telling the truth. Honestly."

He took a step back, threatening to scurry back to the darkness.

"Wait!" I called out trying not to sound desperate. "Ok, fine, don't believe me. But before you go… I just need to know something. I came here with a pokemon. They knocked me out and took her from me and put me here. What have they done with her?" My mind raced with alternatives, images of torture and enslavement that my poor partner could be going through. I was terrified to know, but I had to.

_Her, _the pokemon repeated. _Her._

I blinked, confused. "Y-yeah," I stammered. "She's a torchic. Her name is Chika. Please, she's my best friend. My partner. I got us into this mess. I deserve to be here… but Chika… Please, I need to save her. Help me help her."

_Friend, _the pokemon chewed on the word the same way Bizan did.

"My best friend," I whispered feeling tears well up again. "I know there's some people who treat pokemon poorly, but Chika is my friend. Please, I need to save her."

_Liar, _the yellow bug hissed as yellow static crackled along his fur. _LIAR!_ he shouted as he fired a shock at me.

His words hurt more than the shock ever could, so I felt no need to dodge. The bars protected me, and I watched the spark burst against the metal and fizzle out. I half-wished it hit me. I stared at the spot it struck for a long time until the tears receded behind my eyes.

When I looked back, the pokemon had gone.

* * *

"Why hello there," a sickly-sweet voice said. "Oh my, you're kind of cute in a wild way."

I refused to turn around to face the visitor at the bars. My eyes stayed trained on the wall, tracing its gnarled surface with my eyes. This was my tiny rebellion, my feeble defiance. I didn't answer to my captor's call. I didn't rush to greet them at the door. I was my _own_, and she could piss right off.

"A stubborn one too, aren't we?" she said. "We'll have to iron that out."

A loud _**crack **_split the air, and a sharp pain like a jelllicent sting seared through my right wrist. My gaze flicked to my arm to see a leathery black rope that lead to the woman at the door was wrapped it. I clenched my jaw but refused to turn around.

"I see," she said, her voice like an overripe peacha berry. The grip tightened as she tugged. It dug slightly into my skin, threatening to break it. "You don't want to lose your right hand on the first day, right?"

"I'm a leftie," I growled surprising myself with my defiance.

The whip abruptly tightened cutting through my skin and pulling me sideways. I was forced off the metal table and onto my knees in front of my visitor. I cried out in pain and quickly bit my tongue. I lifted my eyes from the floor, and the gaze I met sent a chill down my spine.

Her eyes were a bright pink, like harsh pink highlighter slashed across a sea of text willing you to never forget the words they marked. Their intensity clashed with her round face which would've seemed gentle if it weren't for the sadistic grin tainting her features. Her faded pink hair was mostly tied back, except for two long strands with even pointed kinks framing her face. She wore a simple yet elegant sleeveless dress a couple shades darker than her hair. In her hand, she loosely held the handle to the black whip, thoroughly enjoying this exchange.

I feared her instantly.

"I know," she said with an airy sigh, "it's been unsettling for you. You're unsure of what happened, where you are, and why you're here... These living conditions also aren't… ideal." Her eyes flickered over to the steel bucket. "Don't worry though. I'm here to move you. My name's Anthea, by the way."

_Don't worry? _I thought incredulously. I wanted to say no and dig my heels in, but if she could be cruel while enjoying it, I shuddered to think of her when enraged. I said nothing, not letting my eyes leave her.

"Come on," Anthea said sharply while pulling the whip. "Don't just stare at me like a vacant yamask! Let's go!"

Any semblance of defiance shattered as terror rushed in. I slowly rose to my feet, almost deafened by the hammering of my heart.

She started walking, and I had no choice but to follow. We headed up the stairs. At the top, there was a heavy wooden door which she had to shoulder to open. As we stepped out, I noticed that we were on the end of a massive hallway lit by harsh LED lights. The floor was made of black stone and the walls were a creamy white. Every few feet, there was a black door. There were at least thirty doors on either side and another staircase on the other end. Massive white stone pillars supporting the upper floors reached up from around us to the ceiling which wasn't particularly tall.

"This doesn't look like much," Anthea explained with another airy sigh. "But neither do the people who live here. These rooms house the servants. Part of their job is to guard the dungeon which we just came out of."

I cast a glance back to see how secure the door to the dungeon was, and although I saw the flash of silver locks and some semblance of security, she yanked me away before I could inspect it. I was forced to stay on her heels as she sped down the hallway. As I took a closer look, I noticed that most of the doors looked beat up with flashes of brown peeking behind the chipped black paint. I strained my ears for any sound of life and my eyes for a glimpse at a friendly face, but it seemed deserted.

We climbed the flat, wide marble stairs. We went past a floor that actually sounded like it had some life. I could hear the roar of fire, muffled curses, the clatter of pots, and smell the waft of something edible. My stomach lurched in hunger, but we pressed on.

The room she dragged me into was admittedly breath taking. The floor was made of black marble with wisps of white drifting through it. The centre of the floor was marked with a massive circle, divided into half black and half white. Above it dangled a glittering chandelier with a black frame that supported white diamonds flashing gorgeous sparkles. The white ceiling soared above us and two more smaller chandeliers hang on either side of the centre one.

To our left, two enormous shiny black doors richly decorated with regal patterns sealed us away from the outside world. The doors were framed with carvings of colourless energies that looked like electricity and fire. Two dragons met at the top, one black and the other white. It wasn't the carvings that caught my eyes, but the two white doorknobs that stood out so blatantly among the darkness. I could only stare.

Across from the doors, two more white staircases emerged from either side of the black and white circle in the centre like wings. They connected to a white ledge that overlooked the room. The white ledge was protected with an elegantly carved black banister. I wondered how anyone could be content just staring at the door like that, but when I looked above the doors, my heart stopped.

Across from the ledge, above the doors, was a massive window. Natural light flooded the room, pouring in through the spotless glass from the clear blue sky. I couldn't see the land or anything, just the sky. My terror subsided for a moment as I let its vastness hypnotise me. I felt like all I had to do was jump, and I'd splash right in and swim away.

_Chika, _my heart reminded me destroying the fantasy. But it gave me hope, and that was enough. For now.

"Beautiful, isn't it?" my captor breathed. Her grip on the whip slackened, and I contemplated making a break for it, but without a plan I was doomed. I didn't know what lay behind that door or what traps could be set. I needed to play along so I could get to know the place if I was going to get out. It dawned on me that my earlier defiance was rash and counterproductive. I cursed my short-sightedness. I needed them to trust me enough to leave me unsupervised so I could flee. I wondered if that was possible.

"Oh dear, I see the gears grinding behind those watery blue eyes of yours," she smiled as she tapped me condescendingly on the nose and tugged on the rope. I fought the urge to wince. "You're _already_ thinking about escaping. Why would you want to leave this?" she said with a grand gesture as her pink eyes bore into mine. "Besides, we're really quite nice."

I struggled to keep my features steady. I always sucked at poker, but my life was on the line. I needed to straighten up, say something disarming, something non-threatening, something docile, just something!

"What's the matter?" she cooed as the rope tightened. She stared for a while, trying to figure me out, until her features softened slightly. The _shred _of compassion she showed reminded me of my mother whose concern for me was selfish and shallow.

"Purrlion got your tongue?" she asked again. "You were so defiant before, but you're so quiet already."

"Where is Chika?" I croaked through my unease.

Her eyes flashed. All remorse vanished. She lunged.

_SLAP!_

I clutched my stinging cheek with my free hand, staring at the marble floor in dazed shock. Anger twisted violently in my chest snapping me out of it. In the blaze, I forgot about trying to appear docile as I slowly looked up at her with hatred seared across my features.

She was looking down making her pink hair fall across her eyes. "People and pokemon must be SEPARATE." She looked up at me, her pink eyes fierce and threatening. Her jaw was clenched, like she was restraining herself from striking again.

"WHY?" I challenged, anger fuelling my boldness. I planted one foot firmly behind me as though I was getting ready to lunge as well. "Chika is my FRIEND! Where is she!"

Anthea drew a slow breath. She steadied herself and reconstructed her composure. "I knew you'd be deluded, but such ignorance still makes me lose my temper." She straightened her posture. Her face was clam, but her eyes still smouldered. "I'll answer your questions later. For now, we have other matters to attend to."

I was sickened by my cowardice and weakness. If I couldn't get them to trust me, I could at least get them to think I was harmless, so they'd underestimate me and leave me unsupervised. But Arceus, I sure as hell _felt_ harmless.

Convincing them I was might not be so difficult after all.


End file.
